AS a local resident I would also like to add my dismay at the council’s abomination on the eastern promenade.

I was optimistically hoping that for once our council would have used the designated regeneration fund to sympathetically enhance Barry Island's resort by adding beautiful eateries and facilities that are sadly lacking. What did we get? A Concorde crash cone of a canopy, an inferior Stonehenge-like water feature (that gets flooded) next to the sea (which is a water feature in itself) and an unsupervised climbing wall, an accident waiting to happen. In addition to this are the hideously coloured concrete beach huts with no particular purpose other than for graffiti artists to deface. The Eastern shelter though repaired has been painted in a horrible dark cream instead of enhancing the original stone.

I've also noted the comments from the traders on the Western promenade are favourable towards the changes, and why wouldn't they be? They have no competition! The reason for no alternative eatery (eg a first class restaurant by the sea) was "due to lack of services."

Not true!

Electric cables and water pipes are in situ or are being installed albeit at too shallow a level from my observations.

I'm as much to blame as anyone for not speaking out beforehand. In hindsight a National competition should have been organised to challenge university architect and engineering students to come up with ideas, and the best six decided by the people of Barry. But it wasn't and now we are left with this hideous amalgamation of ideas. Shame on you Vale of Glamorgan Council. Shame on us that allowed it to happen.

Nicola Whelan

Friars Road

Barry Island