FURTHER improvements, including upgrading paths and improved toilet facilities, public seating and lighting are planned on Barry Island.

With the newly renovated Eastern Promenade now open, even more improvements are coming to continue the regeneration of the Island.

The Vale council have said that the regeneration scheme, which included new beach huts, a traversing wall, viewing platforms, new footpath links, and new public toilets and baby changing facilities, was only the beginning of a wider project.

Council leader Neil Moore said: “Whilst I am very pleased with the regeneration works on the Eastern promenade, anybody thinking that the completion of the Eastern Shelter regeneration scheme would see a lull in activity would be mistaken.

"We have already programmed a further set of works to further enhance the island and these works will now commence with a view to being completed before the start of the next season.

"This demonstrates our firm commitment to the Island and its crucial role in Barry and the wider Vale of Glamorgan.”

Plans include further investment to upgrade paths and landscaping on the promenade gardens, improved toilet facilities at the Western shelter, and improvements to public seating and lighting.

And a further planned improvement already underway is the upgrading of the footpath between the car park and the breakwater to a footway-cycleway, which will then link to the new footway-cycleway provided at Friars Point earlier this year.

Director of Development Services, Rob Thomas, said: “The opening of the Eastern promenade following the multimillion regeneration project will bring increased confidence in Barry Island as a key visitor destination. The scheme has introduced new life to the Eastern end of the promenade, and already the next phase of improvements has been scheduled.”

Lis Burnett, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Innovation, Planning and Transportation said: “We are understandably delighted at the public response to the eastern shelter scheme.

"Our attention now turns to ensuring that we have a workable and equitable policy for the rental and use of the new beach huts.

"We have also brought forward additional plans to further improve the visitor experience at the island. This will include improved facilities for the visitor and the regeneration and improvement of public spaces and infrastructure.”