In October 2007, the Consortium entered into an agreement with Associated British Ports and the Welsh Assembly Government to purchase the remaining former dockland areas at Barry Waterfront.
The redevelopment of Barry Waterfront has so far delivered a range of community, commercial and residential facilities including a health centre, a pharmacy, new road links, 686 new homes (including affordable housing), a supermarket, 5600sq ft of retail space and has also opened up part of the waterfront for public use.
In August 2009, the Consortium submitted an outline planning application for the regeneration of the West Pond/South Quay, East Quay and Arno Quay areas of the site to the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
The scheme was given a unanimous resolution to grant planning permission by the Vale of Glamorgan Council in July 2011. It will comprise of new link road from the town centre to Barry Island, a waterfront district centre featuring shops, cafes and restaurants, a purpose-built community facility, a hotel and primary school. New parks and public spaces will also be created as well as up to 2,000 new homes, comprising a mix of private and affordable housing.
The Consortium is currently working with the Council to finalise the Section 106 agreement and work is expected to begin on the development in early 2012. .
History of the site
The Barry Railway Company established Barry as a coal port in the 1880s due to the rapidly expanding coal trade in south Wales. Coal was brought from the South Wales Valleys, and trade grew from one million tons in the first year, to over nine million tons by 1903. The port was crowded with ships and had flourishing repair yards, cold stores, flour mills and an ice factory.
The town prospered with the expansion of trade through the docks and the development of Barry Island as a leisure attraction throughout the early part of the twentieth century. However, trade in the port diminished due to its inability to handle larger and more efficient cargo ships, leaving large areas of unused and derelict land.
The Consortium is committed to ensuring the history of the site is remembered, and one method of achieving this will be through the incorporation of public art into the development plans.