A REPORT  to be considered by Vale of Glamorgan  Cabinet presents the emerging Barry Growth Programme, a long-term strategy to continue improving one of the largest towns in Wales.

The programme will contain a Spatial Masterplan, offering a picture of which areas may be included, such as the town centre, waterfront, docks, and other employment sites.

A Regeneration Investment Plan will set out the way in which this will be delivered, with the overall programme designed to build on the success of work that has already taken place to rejuvenate Barry.

Barry Island has been regenerated with a revitalised promenade, landscaped gardens and beach huts, while the Innovation Quarter has seen the development of 19th century buildings the Pumphouse and the Goodsheds.

The latter, a former railway storage building on Hood Road, has been converted into a shipping container village of office space, retail units, restaurants and a coffee shop alongside an apartment complex.

There is already a pipeline of projects planned of more than £100 million, including proposals for a new waterfront college campus, primary school, and high-quality office accommodation as well as new facilities for rail providers, a transport interchange and a mixed housing and health gateway scheme.

This is on top of the Council’s, Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, which has seen two Barry comprehensive schools, Pencoedtre and Whitmore, benefit from brand new campuses. These offer state-of-the-art facilities and ultra-modern learning environments, whilst Ysgol Bro Morgannwg has also benefited from significant extensions and refurbishment works.

As part of the plan, the Council is preparing an application to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, which opens soon, for a package of projects that will be focused on the waterfront, employment and new community facilities.

Cllr Lis Burnett, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Education, said:

“Barry has undergone extensive regeneration in recent years, from the multi-million-pound transformation of local schools to the innovative partnerships that have breathed life into buildings from the town’s industrial past. There has also been significant investment in housing at the waterfront and elsewhere as we now move at pace to build our own low-carbon council homes.

“Now we want to build on that success with a bold and exciting vision for the future Barry.

“The Barry Growth Programme outlines our strategic plan for the future of the town. It aims to address issues of inequality, employment, and training needs, with an ambition to reduce carbon emissions and improve transport links.”

Part of the Council’s broader Project Zero commitment, which aims to make the organisation carbon neutral by 2030, there will also be a drive to reduce CO2 emissions in Barry.

The Barry Growth Programme will aim to not only make physical improvements to certain locations, but also create training and employment opportunities for residents. The Council has been working to build stronger working relationships with UK Government throughout 2021.

Alun Cairns, Member of Parliament for the Vale, said:

“Levelling Up is a key UK Government priority. This is great news for Barry in that we can bid for a substantial package of projects in and around the waterfront that can deliver a marina. The projects form a significant part of my vision to accelerate the regeneration of one the largest towns in Wales. I have campaigned for some time to see these exciting projects develop which would bring the waterfront to life and create new employment sites and more quality jobs for residents.

I fully recognise that we need to better connect the rest of Barry with the waterfront and I strongly believe that the town centre and other businesses will benefit from this investment. The projects announced today are simply a pre cursor to the Shared Prosperity Fund which will offer much larger UK Government investment further down the line for bigger infrastructure and development projects that the Vale and Barry will be eligible to access.”