By Sue Vincent Jones.
Could the Marina kick start a new look for Barry?
Well, what do you reckon to all this fancy talk of us having our very own little Marina then – how posh is that!
Admittedly I’m waiting with bated breath to see if this is just nautical nonsense that will never get afloat.
Or if it’s a sea-worthy solution to do up our Docks and take our Town’s tourism to another level.
The Vale Council is keen. It has put in a bid for £20m Levelling Up Funding to create a marina on ‘The Mole’, and a second phase water sports facility too.
Never thought I’d see the day when I’d spy a yuppie’s yacht floating past as I pootled to Morrisons with my trusty More card. But stranger things do happen at sea so I have thrown a life belt on my sinking feeling.
To be honest, I will also grudgingly admit that it does make sound sense to always suss out some more surefire success – especially in an area that has seen a rapid renaissance recently.
Let’s be honest, from Academy to Goodsheds, the once barren land is unrecognisable from not just my childhood but my kids too. The former desolate Dockland has also been beautifully boosted by the hordes of aspiring young professionals settling in our seaside town.
Discouraged by the Diff’s pricey property market, the socially mobile Millennials have cannily moved into the site’s happy little homes.
Finally, if we throw in the lovely Island link then the much-maligned Barry of old is a distant memory – only revisited on Nick and Shirley’s valiant Victorian Barry Dock Tours.
What a reputational rise in seeing our town become a magnificent magnet for regeneration and rejuvenation. Barry, once the largest coal exporting port in Britain, before a slow decline and a fast downward dip in the car crime ridden 80’s, is back with a bang.
The wonderful Waterfront has its shiny new homes, trendy foodie feasts, and a potential upmarket marina. All lovingly linked up to the Gavin and Stacey boosted Barry Island, complete with Danter’s daring plans and the toilet block building bonus.
In my view, what we need is a wider community cohesion project, driven by tourism solutions and property plans that benefit the whole of beautiful Barry.
So, fingers crossed for the Marina to make a start.
What do you think?
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- The views expressed by columnists of this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Glamorgan Star, its employees or its proprietors.
🌟This article first appeared in the printed edition of the Glamorgan Star on 14.07.22
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