Driven round the bend! Families living in flats in the middle of a busy roundabout say they can’t wait to move out because they have to dodge traffic every time they leave home
- Residents in Penywuan, south Wales, have hit out at their roundabout flats
- They have blasted the impossible parking and dangerous conditions for kids
Families are being driven round the bend by their homes which were built atop a ‘circular hell-hole’ as concerns mount over parking and traffic.
Drivers are met with a peculiar sight in Penywaun, Aberdare in south Wales, where a three-storey tower block of flats proudly sits at the centre of the busy roundabout.
Residents say that parking is impossible, popping out to the shops can be a nightmare and that they wouldn’t dare let their children play out in front of the flats.
Others who have spoken about their unusual flat block have admitted it is a ‘bit strange’ but insist that they settled in and normalised it over time.
Drivers are met with a peculiar sight in Penywaun, Aberdare in south Wales, where a three-storey tower block of flats proudly sits at the centre of the busy roundabout
Residents say that parking is impossible, popping out to the shops can be a nightmare and that they wouldn’t dare let their children play out in front of the flats
The nine residents living in the apartments are met by a circular road surrounding their whole block every time they leave the building.
Anyone attempting to leave the development has to make use of a set of paths leading down from the roundabout and immediately dodge traffic on the carriageway on the nearby Arfryn road.
Neighbours living in the block say they ‘can’t wait to leave’ after dealing with the awkward road crossing every day.
One mother who lives in the flats said: ‘You’ve heard of the magic roundabout – well this is the unmagic roundabout. It is no laughing matter though.
‘You can’t park and you have to dodge the traffic going round and round every time you go out. Bonkers really.’
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I’ve haven’t been here that long and I already can’t wait to leave.
‘It’s miserable trying to have a car and bring your shopping in when there is nowhere to stop really. It’s just an awkward spot to live in.’
The residents are worried about being identified in case there are problems about moved out of their ‘circular hell-hole.’
Fellow neighbour Chelsea said she worries about her young daughter’s safety due to the road.
She said: ‘It’s a bit strange. I’ve lived here for two years, and you just get used to it.’
‘The cars come down the hill at a pace, and the school buses too, because there’s a comprehensive nearby, so there’s about 10 school buses.’
Chelsea said she wouldn’t want to let her daughter play outside near the road, and ‘can’t wait’ to move somewhere else when she has her second child.
Another person living nearby said: ‘The flats have been there for at least the thirty years I’ve lived here. But then it was much quieter.
‘Now there is a lot more traffic on the road and it can be a nightmare trying to get across. You can see why so many people want to leave.’
Rhondda Cynon Taf council was contacted for comment.
Advertisement
