Flagship eco-village backed by King Charles’s charity now resembles ‘apocalyptic film’ after being abandoned for more than a decade

The flagship eco-village backed by King Charles’ charity now resembles an ‘apocalypse movie’ after being abandoned for more than a decade.

Nearly 300 homes have been built on a former oil refinery site at Llandarcy, near Neath in South Wales, as part of plans to transform industrial land into a thriving new village.

The King visited the site in 2013, when he was the Prince of Wales, after the first phase was completed, but construction was halted soon after.

The houses have never been lived in and the area has been compared to a ‘zombie’ village in a Hollywood movie.

Filmmaker Jay Curtis was researching the settlement’s surroundings when he came across the Coed Darcy project.

‘It’s like a village that time forgot,’ he said. It looked completely abandoned.

‘The only thing I can compare it to is an apocalypse movie; It’s the kind of movie you’ll see in Hollywood movies.

‘At one stage I thought it might be a film set because there’s a lot of filming going on in Wales at the moment.

Nearly 300 homes have been built on a former oil refinery site at Llandarcy, South Wales, as part of plans to transform industrial land into a thriving new village. (Pictured: Nearby houses)

However, the construction was abandoned soon after. The houses have never been lived in and the area has been compared to a ‘zombie’ village in a Hollywood movie.

‘It wasn’t until I got a little closer with the drone that I realized it was a village of fully-equipped houses with electricity and lighting and garages.’

Coed Darcy’s much-talked-about plans included 4,000 homes, four schools, an operating theatre, community hall, library and 500,000 square meters of ’employment space’.

The development received financial support from the then Prince’s Building Society Trust, as well as BP, Neath Port Talbot Council and the Welsh Government.

Plans were in place to turn the vacant land into an estate modeled on King Charles’s admirable urban development Poundbury in Dorset, and construction of the village began after five years of environmental clearance.

Charles even visited the site himself in 2013, saying he was interested in ‘trying to break the commercial mold with the challenges the world is currently facing’.

It was planned to be transformed into a new community for 10,000 people, but after redevelopment works started in 2009, only 294 Date houses were built in the village.

Although it has been touted as a ’15-minute neighbourhood’ and ‘eco-village’, last year locals said it now felt more like a ‘war zone’ as redevelopment work slowed down.

There are still shortages of schools, shops, libraries and doctors’ offices; residents are forced to travel 20 minutes to the nearest facilities elsewhere.

Coed Darcy’s much-talked-about plans included 4,000 homes, four schools, an operating theatre, community hall, library and 500,000 square meters of ’employment space’.

The area is expected to become an ‘eco-village’ and a ’15-minute neighbourhood’

Last year locals said it now felt more like a ‘war zone’ after redevelopment slowed down

There is still a shortage of schools, stores, libraries and doctors’ offices; residents have to travel 20 minutes to the nearest such facilities elsewhere

The land was once home to the BP-owned Llandarcy Oil Refinery, the UK’s first crude oil refinery.

The first families living there moved into the site, built by developer St Modwen, in 2008, but many facilities have since been left on hold.

Local authority Neath Port Talbot Council previously spoke of ongoing talks with developers St Modwen and their parent company Blackstone Group, which subsequently ‘moved’ responsibility for the site to a new subsidiary called Revantage.

Developers have issued an apology for ‘operational issues affecting residents’ as they submit a planning application for further development.

Mr Curtis said he could not determine why the project was abandoned as locals put forward various theories about oil contamination or unstable ground.

He said: ‘There’s really no clear answer, which is what surprises most people. It surprises people to have this level of excitement, a royal visit, this much ambition, and then see it all end.

‘These are big, expensive houses. There are many. And no one ever moved here.’

Speaking last year, telecommunications consultant James Dewitt, 40, who has lived in Coed Darcy for 10 years, was among locals who shared their despair at the lack of progress.

Developers issue apology for ‘operational issues affecting residents’ as they submit a planning application for further development

Residents have put forward various theories about the abandonment, including oil contamination or unstable ground

The land was once home to the BP-owned Llandarcy Oil Refinery, the UK’s first crude oil refinery.

One resident who moved in nine years ago said he was considering putting his home up for sale.

Talks are ongoing with developers St Modwen and their parent company Blackstone Group, who are ‘moving’ responsibility for the site to a new subsidiary called Revantage.

He said: ‘We love our homes, our community and living here, but we are frustrated by the lack of promised facilities and have no clear answer from either St Modwen or the council as to what is causing the delay.

‘We have a residents group that I sit on and we meet with St Modwen occasionally and they have told us that they will try to give us some clarity on the state of the development when we next meet.

‘I have also written to the NPT planning department several times and although they have responded we have never received any content updates.

‘We are in the same situation as two years ago. This is still a nice place to live in many ways, but we still have no schools, no stores, no doctors; The only change is that more time has passed.’

Another resident, who moved nine years ago, said: ‘I’m at the point of putting my house on the market.

‘There is no more community spirit; People argue over parking and trash cans, and there are days when I don’t want to leave the house.

‘I’ve lived here for nine to ten years and what appealed to me was that it was a sustainable place to live. These images showed this vibrant terrain and what we have here looks like a war zone.

‘I returned to South Wales nine years ago and had a lot of problems. The community is completely soulless and does not attract the right people; It looks messy, just ridiculous.’