The owner of Barry Island Pleasure Park has revealed ambitious plans to build a holiday camp on derelict land close to the former Sully Hospital site on Hayes Road.
Henry Danter, 78, purchased the land earlier this month and has begun the process of submitting a planning application to the Vale Council seeking permission to convert the area into a holiday park with different types of accommodation including log cabins, camping facilities and towed caravans.
The land was formerly owned by BP but has been derelict for many years and work has already begun to improve the appearance of the site.
Mr Danter bought Barry Island Pleasure Park in 2015 and has spent more than £8 million on improvements in a bid to recapture the spirit of its heyday in the 1960s and 70s.
In July, the new AEROSPACE white-knuckle ride opened at a cost of more than £3 million. The ride can reach heights of 214ft, a top speed of 75mph, a G force of four and lights costing £300,000 have made it a stunning new landmark in the night sky.
The new ice rink was a hit with local people and visitors during Christmas and the early part of 2023, and work is taking place to open a new restaurant and bar area later this year.
Mr Danter says he wants to recreate the ‘glory days’ of Barry as a holiday resort in the spirit of Butlin’s (later Majestic), which operated between 1966-96, but he believes the lack of accommodation is currently holding the area back: “With the help of my wonderful staff, we have transformed things in recent years, and with three new rides to come this summer, along with the new bar and restaurant, it’s going to become better still in the months ahead.
“I am well on the way to making the pleasure park the jewel in the crown of Wales, but lack of holiday accommodation is the one aspect that’s really preventing the area from fulfilling its potential at the moment. Holidaymakers have to stay elsewhere in places like Porthcawl or Bridgend when they come to visit Barry Island, and that means the wider local economy is losing out,” he said.
The land on Sully Road covers approximately a quarter of a mile, and Mr Danter emphasises the importance of ‘thinking big’ in terms of reviving Barry as a leading holiday resort: “We have to think of ourselves as being in the same league as Brean and Minehead in terms of offering the complete package for holidaymakers, with lots to see and do in the pleasure park and on the beach, but also to have somewhere to stay.
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“When the old Butlin’s/Majestic site closed, I looked into the possibility of buying it, but there were just too many obstacles in the way, and I worked with the site’s owner, the late Rick Wright, to move some of the rides to India. It was a very sad time for the area.
“But now the good times are coming back, and I’m getting loads of enquiries from people who want to come to Barry Island but can’t find anywhere to stay, so we need to put that right, and ‘Henry Danter’s Holiday Park’ aims to do exactly that,” he said.
With his 79th birthday approaching next month, Mr Danter says he has the ‘energy of a 25-year-old’ and is keen to get on with the project as quickly as possible, but added that he wants to work with local residents to alleviate any concerns they may have: “We are going to do things properly, we won’t be doing it on the cheap and we won’t be cutting any corners.
“I am keen to make this holiday park somewhere the whole community can be proud of. Therefore, I will listen to local residents and will take on board their concerns.
“I’m keeping an open mind as to how exactly the holiday park site will look. I want there to be a range of accommodation to appeal to different types of holidaymakers, and the quality of the facilities will be high.
“There may be a clubhouse to give people somewhere to go in the evenings, and I have other ideas, but rest assured I will work with the council and local people to make sure it’s a win-win situation for everybody,” he said.
