Barry, Wales’ largest town, is more than just another seaside town. It is a town with a bright future and a key player in the Cardiff Capital region.
Just eight miles from Cardiff, with its shopping, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities, one would be forgiven for thinking that Barry is just another commuter town. Indeed with four railway stations, direct routes into Cardiff and beyond and an airport just 15 minutes away, there are plenty of transport options. However, these routes are increasingly being used to bring people back to Barry, to live, to work and to visit.
A town of just over 50,000 people, with a rich industrial and cultural heritage, is building on that legacy. The regeneration of Barry does not rely solely on state funding and intervention. There has remained a buoyant interest in the town and so a suite of interventions and innovative approaches build on that strength.
In practice this means a whole-town, joined-up approach to regeneration involving public, private and third sectors as well as individual residents businesses and traders.
The regeneration of Barry is more about adding value so that progress is sustainable and at the same time truly cements its place in the region.
[Photo credit: M. J. Richardson]