PLANS to transform Barry Island Pleasure Park with a multi-million pound development - which includes seafront apartments and a fairground - have had a mixed response in the town.

The Barry Island Property Company (BIPC) - owners of the Barry Island Pleasure Park and the adjoining Dolphin bar – said they were negotiating with a significant leisure operator to take over the existing 4.5 acre fairground site.

A planning application was submitted to Vale Council for a modest development on the current Dolphin bar site on Friday, November 21.

The application incorporates more than 4,500 square foot of four modern commercial units opening onto Friars Road with 25 mainly two bedroom units built over.

The scheme occupies the Dolphin's existing footprint building to ensure the current fairground site can continue its existing use.

A BIPC spokesman said the last 10 months had seen them return to the drawing board after a planning application to deleop the site was turned down in March.

Representations had been made to the Welsh Government and others to seek any available additional investment.

He said: “We have always been aware that a strong leisure operator would be a significant integral part of any development to re-establish Barry Island as a significant South Wales tourist attraction.

“We have spent a lot of time to find an operator with both the necessary track record and interested in making the significant investment required to make a success of the site. The size of the site that we owned is not large enough to satisfy the needs of many of those operators as their offers required much larger sites to deliver a viable solution for the level of investment they would have to make."

He added: “We are continuing to invest time and money to secure the delivery of these two separate matters and upon their successful conclusion, the shareholders will be in a position to finalise contracts in the early part of 2015 to allow it to happen as soon as possible.”

Dennis Harkus, of FocusBARRY, said he understood and agreed any redevelopment of this site should not be overly biased towards residential or commercial uses.

He added: “I think most people would want to see tourism and leisure facilities at this traditional location and that will probably require some dwellings to make a scheme viable for any developer.”

Pride in Barry chairman, Paul Haley welcomed the new proposals which reflected the site’s reality.

He said: “They will help maintain a sustainable fairground site and achieve a substantial investment from a new operator. When private sector operators bring forward proposals, investors, and investment to Barry, they should be positively encouraged as we want new leisure facilities, jobs, economic investment and growth, increases in tourism visitors and spend, and a long term vision on regeneration.”

Cllr Lis Burnett said the authority welcomed news an agreement between the current owners of the Barry Island Pleasure Park and a potential investor was near.

She said: “Although progress towards an agreement with the current owners has been slow, and at times frustrating, council officers have met the investor on several occasions and have played a central role in securing the agreement between the two parties.

“The council greatly hopes that they can secure this interest so the site can be brought back into beneficial use for the town.”

Vale Council director of development services, Rob Thomas, commenting on the residential development proposal, said: “Whilst it is pleasing to at long last see progress being made, it is puzzling that the first phase of the redevelopment of the site is predominantly for housing.

“The Vale Council’s goal is to see the site fulfil its potential as a major attraction on Barry Island. A small amount of housing may be appropriate to assist in redeveloping the majority of the site for leisure purposes. As we know that the owners are in discussions with a leisure operator whose desire to develop the site has been made clear, we were extremely surprised to see a proposal for housing submitted in advance of wider plans for the fairground site.

“Without prejudice to the consideration of the application, we will be speaking to the owners about the need to bring forward a complete set of proposals so that all those with an interest in the site can see clearly what the future may hold."

Vale MP Alun Cairns said he hoped the application would result in a re-invigorating site design.

“Whatever has gone on before must now be put behind us,” he said. “I will continue to offer my support to any person or operator that is looking to help improve such an iconic site in Barry. I know what an important issue the Pleasure Park is for local residents, and the site is currently in a very sorry state so action clearly has to be taken.

He added: “I would have liked to have seen a grander plan that could have included Nell’s Point but where are we are.

“An iconic site can now be brought back into use and I hope sooner rather later.”