King Charles's Eco-Village Abandoned: Welsh Site Now 'Apocalyptic Film Set'
A flagship eco-village in South Wales, once championed by King Charles's charity, has been left deserted for more than a decade, with its eerie appearance now drawing comparisons to scenes from an apocalyptic Hollywood film. The development, located on a former oil refinery site in Llandarcy, near Neath, was intended to transform industrial land into a thriving new community but has instead become a ghost town of nearly 300 unoccupied houses.
Royal Visit and Ambitious Plans
King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, visited the Coed Darcy site in 2013 after the initial phase of construction was completed. His visit highlighted the project's ambitious vision, which aimed to break the commercial mould and address environmental challenges. The plans included 4,000 homes, four schools, a surgery, a community hall, a library, and 500,000 square feet of employment space, modeled after the admired urban development Poundbury in Dorset.
Financial backing came from the then-Prince's Foundation for Building Community, alongside BP, Neath Port Talbot Council, and the Welsh Government. After five years of environmental clean-up work, construction began in 2009, with the goal of creating a new community for 10,000 people. However, only 294 homes built by Persimmon were ever completed, and the project was abandoned soon after the royal visit.
'Zombie' Village and Local Despair
Filmmaker Jay Curtis, who stumbled upon the development while exploring the surrounding inhabited area, described it as a village that time forgot. He noted, 'It's like a village that time forgot. It just looked completely abandoned. The only thing I can compare it to is an apocalyptic film—like something you'd stumble across in a Hollywood movie.' Initially mistaking it for a film set due to Wales's active filming industry, he realized upon closer inspection with a drone that it was a fully-fledged hamlet with garages, electricity, and lighting, yet devoid of residents.
Locals have expressed deep frustration over the stalled development. James Dewitt, a 40-year-old telecommunications consultant who has lived at Coed Darcy for 10 years, shared his despair, stating, 'We like our houses, the community and living here but we are frustrated at the lack of promised facilities and are unable to get a clear answer from either St Modwen or the council about what is causing the delay.' Despite occasional meetings with developers, residents report no substantive updates, leaving them in the same position as two years ago.
Failed Promises and Ongoing Issues
Despite being touted as a '15-minute neighbourhood' and an 'eco-village', the area now feels more like a 'war zone' to residents, with a significant slowdown in improvement works. There remains a shortage of essential facilities such as schools, shops, a library, and a doctors' surgery, forcing residents to travel 20 minutes to the nearest amenities. One resident, who moved in nine years ago, lamented, 'I'm at the point of putting my house on the market. There's no community spirit anymore—people are arguing over parking and bins, and there are days when I don't want to leave the house.'
The estate, once home to the UK's first crude oil refinery owned by BP, has seen ongoing discussions between Neath Port Talbot Council and developers St Modwen, later their parent company Blackstone Group, and a subsidiary firm called Revantage. Developers have issued apologies for operational issues affecting residents and submitted a planning application for further development, but progress remains elusive.
Unclear Reasons for Abandonment
The reasons behind the project's abandonment remain unclear, with locals offering various theories, including oil contamination or unstable ground. Jay Curtis remarked, 'There's no real clear answer, that's what baffles most people. To have that level of hype, a royal visit, and such ambition—and then to see it all just left—it amazes people. These are big, expensive homes. There are a lot of them. And no-one ever moved in.'
As the site continues to decay, residents like James Dewitt highlight the lack of clarity and progress, noting that the community, while lovely in some ways, is soulless and fails to attract the right people. The once-vibrant vision for Coed Darcy now stands as a stark reminder of unfulfilled promises and the challenges of sustainable urban development.
