A LOCAL businessman hosted a public meeting on his ambitions to build a holiday camp between Barry and Sully and vehemently defended his organisation for the work they have done in the town.
The saga continues, and is set to continue, on the future of land between Beechwood College and Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice which Barry Pleasure Park boss Henry Danter owns.
In the latest development, plans for him to use the site to store storage containers and caravans are still to be decided upon by Vale County Council after Barry Town Council, in an advisory role, refused to support the project.
Vale Council’s next planning meeting was cancelled on December 21 due to “lack of business”.
It means Mr Danter won’t find out what he can do with his land until at least the new year.
In the meantime, his organisation will be constructing a new fence on the front and eastern side of the site – with the work due to start imminently.
Mr Danter is desperate to speak to Tŷ Hafan and Beechwood College about his ambitions for the site and invited them to a “public meeting” he hosted at his Beach Hut Bar on his pleasure park in the beginning of December.
Despite being set with a PA system and his assistant taking minutes, Mr Danter didn’t actually need the microphone as representatives of Tŷ Hafan and the college refused to attend.
But in his entrepreneurial “he who dares” way, Mr Danter pressed on with the meet, where he was asked questions including how many cabins he intends to put on the site, the distance the site is from his pleasure park and how many people does he envisage would stay on it at the height of summer?
In one exchange, Mr Danter defended vehemently his family’s legacy in Barry.
Mr Danter said: “We are investing heavily in Barry. The amount of work my family, friends and loyal staff have done is second to none. They have gone beyond the call of duty to make it what it is now.”
Mr Danter also displayed a clear plan of what he wishes to do at Hayes Road.
An image displayed on a TV screen on the walls showed Mr Danter’s vision for the land, which included chalet style log cabins and a play park.
One member of the public said: “That site is not going to be big enough to accommodate everything you are trying to do.”
Another said: “I think you would have far more support if you found a different site for this.”
Despite not attending, Tŷ Hafan released a statement after saying their stance on the issue has not changed.
A spokesperson said: “Building a holiday park, to serve Barry between a Sully-based children’s hospice and a residential college for young people with complex needs would be entirely inappropriate.
"It would raise serious concerns on a number of issues including the security of the site, the safety of those who use the services provided and those who work at Tŷ Hafan and Beechwood College, as well as safeguarding issues, plus the privacy and tranquillity of both sites would be substantially compromised."
Let us know your thoughts? Good for the area, or not the right thing to build next to a hospice. Comment in Facebook or email harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.
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