A MUM who lives in the middle of a roundabout admits it’s a strange place for a home – while revealing the worst part about it.
Most roundabouts in the UK probably feature a few trees and bushes, an array of signposts or possibly even some artwork.
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But one in Wales comes with an entire block of flats.
It’s located in Penywaun, between Aberdare and Hirwaun just south of the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road.
Slap bang in the middle of a roundabout joining Lawrence Avenue to the west with Arfryn to the north and south sits the Waunllwyd flats.
The block makes for an unusual sight, with paths leading down from four sections of the roundabout.
There are nine flats in the block, two of which have entrances at street level and the remaining seven being behind a locked door with a buzzer.
Speaking to WalesOnline about what it’s like living there, resident Chelsea said: “It’s a bit strange. I’ve lived here for two years, and you just get used to it.”
Chelsea has a young daughter and said it was “hard work” living on the roundabout, worrying about the traffic coming towards it at speed.
“The cars come down the hill at a pace”, she said, “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.
As it’s a roundabout, there isn’t a formal road crossing, and cars can’t be parked on the kerb next to the flats.
Meanwhile, another family who also live on a roundabout have revealed why they will never leave.
Life in the middle of the A525 from Rhyl to Ruthin in Denbighshire “does get busy at times”, said Clwyd Howatson, 64, who has lived there for most of his life.
But he said he had gotten used to living there and one advantage was that his family didn’t have to worry about the neighbours.
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