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AIBU?

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Original poster

To nominate as the country's worst town centre....

787 replies

moogster1a · 17/02/2012 22:15

...Rochdale.
Good God it's a god forsaken place. There appears to be half a dozen payday loan shos, a few poundland things and some mobile 'phone shops.
It's got so bad that even maccy d's has shut down.
It's only redeeming feature is that Gabbots farm is still clinging on.

OP posts:
runningwilde · 17/02/2012 23:39

Northampton is not that bad! Bloody hell!

Bedworth - shithole that even shitholes won't go to! Scary place, scary people... (sorry if anyone is from 'beddorth' but you know it's true!)

ninah · 17/02/2012 23:41

jaywick's fab, is it a town though?
Colchester used to be OK I thought (won't say where I come from tho)

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 17/02/2012 23:41

Huddersfield (I think it was mentioned on a thread a couple of weeks back)

Been there once.It's got aload of charity shops and a few nice shops.

We were treated to a real-life street entertainment of 2 young laydeez having a fist fight.(With added swearing)Hmm

It was like a Jeremy Kyle roadshow Grin

GrahamTribe · 17/02/2012 23:41

Pandemoniaa, noooo. No Llanelli! It was a nice little town when I was there many years ago. Sadly I've heard that Kidwelly is pretty grim now too though all those years back I found it delightful.

BodaciousTatas · 17/02/2012 23:41

How about Tilbury then.

Essex has some lovely places Smile

ninah · 17/02/2012 23:42

omg the working men's club tilbury

Original poster
moogster1a · 17/02/2012 23:42

Bedworth, isn't that where some bikers had a "disagreement" not long ago

OP posts:
thebestisyettocome · 17/02/2012 23:42

I knew that my home town would be mentioned Sad Grin

Popoozle · 17/02/2012 23:46

Well, I'm fairly confident I won't see my hometown named on here - not because it's nice, you understand - just because we are in the Midlands are there are many worse places locally Grin.

StrandedBear - I agree Chelmsley Wood is dire. You were quite right to whisper Grin.

The worst place I've been though has to be Rhyl. I had no idea that anywhere by the sea could be so depressing (I love the seaside).

I've not been to Rochdale so can't comment on that but there are a few places on here that I think are a bit unfair. St Austell for example. How can anywhere in Cornwall be that bad?

LiamsMummyJaz · 17/02/2012 23:47

Stoke is not as bad as other parts of the country... No where near in fact...

NewGirlInTown · 17/02/2012 23:47

Luton (shudders)

BodaciousTatas · 17/02/2012 23:47

Does Tilbury still have a wmc? I haven't been there for a good while now.

Was recently in Maldon, that was getting a bit grim.

Haziedoll · 17/02/2012 23:47

I would love to live somewhere with a pound shop.

I live in a niace town but it is a bit of a clone town even if it doesn't think it is.

MuddlingThroughItAll · 17/02/2012 23:49

Huddersfield isn't too bad actually, not compared to a lot on here!
Agree that Selby and Billingham are ghost towns. Redcar is exceptionally grim however I think Middlesbrough town centre itself just trumps it. Sure, there are a fair few shops but that's mainly because it's a big place. I also read somewhere that the James Cook hospital has the highest admitance of patients with jaw injuries Confused. It was also voted the worst place to live on a Location Location poll when we lived there. Very glad we moved!

SmethwickBelle · 17/02/2012 23:49

I grew up in Stevenage, lived there 17 years and it was fine. It's a lot safer than you think, very convenient. We used to pop on the train to London for nights out or go to gigs at Borderline and the Marquee etc, walk to countryside, cycle safely... OK this was in the 80s early 90s but I go back a lot and I like it.

I live in Smethwick now, (obviously) and 7 years here that's fine too. I know my doctor and dentist to smile and nod to in the post office, lots of community events, parks and activities...

Birmingham and surrounds have much to enjoy much less to run a screaming mile from in equal measure, I've lived in Balsall Heath, Harborne, Kings Heath, Northfield... Balsall Heath was tricky getting burgled all the time and being mistaken for a prostitute but even still was OK. The rest were peachy.

Bradley Stoke in Bristol, newbuild hell was far worse for my sanity.

runningwilde · 17/02/2012 23:50

Wittsend13 - Telford is a shit-hole
Although Bridgenorth is nice

RatDesPaquerettes · 17/02/2012 23:50

I don't want to make Marjory feel even more depressed but Rochdale is dire and
seems to get more and more depressing on each of my rare visits there.

Is Gabbotts Farm worth a look in though?

MrsAFlowerpot · 17/02/2012 23:50

Hatfield - looked at houses there and spent ages looking for the town centre...when we found it we moved our house search on Blush

Does have The Galleria though...

ninah · 17/02/2012 23:50

I haven't been to Essex for yonks
Have been to Northampton recently tho ... not to shop I must add

runningwilde · 17/02/2012 23:51

Oops - not Bridgenorth, I meant Irondbridge!

FlyingLugholes · 17/02/2012 23:52

I only remember the awful dirty building that was supposedly cumbernauld town centre as we drove past to glasgow. Even that looked grim. I assumed there must have been some rejuvenation project since then.

Dudley wasn't great.

lesley33 · 17/02/2012 23:52

The shopping centre with caves mentioned in Nottingham is pretty dire - but it is just one part of the city centre. Council have been trying to get its private sector owners to develop it for years.

FlyingLugholes · 17/02/2012 23:53

Used to live in Telford. Hated it. Endless roundabouts and crappy estates.

maras2 · 17/02/2012 23:54

Ninah.You bad girl.I love Cov.my home city and adore Northampton,my student place.In fact I love everywhere and everybody today.

lisaro · 17/02/2012 23:54

Bradford - there's a hole that should have opened as a shopping centre in 2006. But the council have just put in a water feature away from what's left of the shops at a cost of 24.6 million to 'bring people to Bradford'.