Residents whose homes have been slammed as ‘soulless’ by critics online have admitted their house do look like ‘prisoner of war camp’ but they love them. 

The estate in Caernarfon, North Wales, has been called ‘depressingly bleak’ and likened to a desolate Eastern European housing estate by trolls on X.

While locals and neighbours joked it is like living on the set of the iconic 1963 film The Great Escape.

The development, which was completed in January, was mocked on online with one urban planning account posting ‘when cars and f****** bin lorries are your primary design consideration’ alongside of a picture of the estate.

Others were quick to jump on the back of the post describing the estate as ‘desolate wasteland’, ‘lifeless’ and a ‘desert of Tarmac’.

But locals could not care less about the comments with one woman telling MailOnline: ‘It is like a TV set or a prison camp when you look out on the box houses. Like The Great Escape film.

‘But they are great council houses which are very warm. I feel very lucky to live here.’

The estate in Caernarfon, North Wales, has been slammed as being ‘depressingly bleak’ and likened to a desolate Eastern European housing estate

Others were quick to jump on the back of the criticism describing the estate as ‘desolate wasteland’ and ‘lifeless’

Hospital porter Gary Julio, 36, pays £640-a-month rent for his three-bed home on the new estate

One user wrote: ‘The houses don’t look bad but the street is f****** soulless. Not a dig at anyone who works on a bin lorry btw. I’m glad you’re doing your job.’

Another added: ‘A ‘nice’ wide street, but a characterless, tarmac dessert. Why can’t developers plant just a few trees?’

While one user said: ‘A desolate wasteland. What must these people’s daily lives be like? So sad’

However, residents all praised their new, smart council homes and revealed they were all on a waiting list to get them.

Mother-of-two Michelle Evans, 56, said: ‘I love it here and my house

‘It’s fantastic place to live and a good community.

‘I must admit it does look a bit soulless. It does remind me of a prison at times with little individual boxes.

Drone footage of Rhandir Mwyn the new council run housing estate in Caernarfon, where all of the houses have solar panels

Residents of the housing estate have admitted they live in prisoner of war-style homes. Pictured: A Polish prisoner-of-war camp in 1943

Michelle Evans, moved into the elderly bungalows on the estate in January, and said she liked the area as it was quiet

The development was blasted on X (formerly Twitter ) in a post that said ‘when cars and f****** bin lorries are your primary design consideration’ 

Neighbour Rhys Hughes, 63, said: ‘The houses look really smart but they haven’t put much thought into the design of the place.

‘It looks like a PoW camp you see in old films. It reminds me of the place they kept Steve McQueen locked up in The Great Escape.

‘However the houses do look a lot nicer than mine and others round here.

‘I’d like to live in one.’

The 17 houses on Rhandir Mwyn in Caernarfon – which has a famous castle and UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as views of Snowdonia – all have solar panels and electric car sockets.

They were built on empty land and the name translates from Welsh as ‘valley of the minerals’.

Hospital porter Gary Julio, 36, pays £640-a-month rent for his three-bed home, said: ‘It’s a great place to live.

‘The homes are great and affordable and it is safe for the kids to play out after school.

The estate was slammed as being ‘soulless’ by users on X (formerly known as Twitter)

Others described it as a ‘desolate wasteland’ in responding to the original post that hit out at the development

The estate, that was finished in January, was criticised for having no trees planted on it

Mother-of-five Cheryl Hughes, 43, who has a four-bed home, said: ‘I couldn’t really care about the design of the houses because they are so great inside’

The 17 houses on Rhandir Mwyn in Caernarfon – which has a famous castle and UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as views of Snowdonia – all have solar panels and electric car sockets

‘There’s no cars that drive through here fast as it’s not a rat run.

‘It’s just people who live here so they know to be careful of children.

‘I love it here and so does my family.

‘The primary is five minutes down the road which we can walk to and when the kids are old enough to go to high school, it is just over the road.’

The father-of-two added: ‘The design is a bit bleak but it’s not soulless.

‘It’s a great community and we had to be on a waiting list to get them.

‘The only shame is that there’s an electric car socket but I don’t use it as I can’t afford an electric car.’

Mother-of-five Cheryl Hughes, 43, who has a four-bed home, said: ‘I couldn’t really care about the design of the houses because they are so great inside.

The homes were built on empty land and the road name translates from Welsh as ‘valley of the minerals’

 ‘They are amazing houses but outside could have been done a bit better.

‘But we love living here.’

The homes were built by Adra which is North Wales’ largest housing association.

Elliw Owen, Adra’s senior development project manager, said: ‘We are extremely proud to be able to provide quality homes for local people, there is so much demand for affordable housing in the area, which reflects the national picture.

‘All the houses on the development will have an energy performance certificate (EPC) of A, with solar panels and heated by Air Source Heat Pumps.

‘In addition, all properties will have a EV charger as part of a pilot scheme by Adra, in order to see if they would be of benefit to the residents.’