No houses to be sold until facilities delivered
NO MORE homes can be sold at a major Barry housing development until overdue facilities are delivered there.
Vale of Glamorgan Council has secured a legal agreement with the developers behind the Barry Waterfront housing scheme to make sure work on landscaping, road surfacing and open spaces is completed.
Barry Waterfront Consortium, made up of major developers Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and Barratt, has been meeting with the council regularly since the local authority threatened legal action in August 2023.
The leader of the council, Councillor Lis Burnett, said she was pleased an agreement had been reached, while one local councillor for the area said he hopes it gives the developers a “wake up call”.
“I think it is an important step, but frankly it has taken far too long,” said Councillor Mark Hooper, who is also a resident at the site.
“I think people generally really like living on the waterfront. They think it is somewhere that will be a really nice place to live and for [their] family to grow up in.
“It is almost as if people are missing out on the lives they could have lived if it was all finished. You have got the water and you have got nice parks for people to use, but not all of them are finished.”
Residents have also raised complaints with the council about the empty retail units at a commercial development on site known as The District Centre.
Cllr Hooper said some residents had been waiting between two and three years for facilities to be delivered at Barry Waterfront.
He added: “Most people will see this as a belated, but welcome move.”
Vale of Glamorgan Council said meetings between its officers and Barry Waterfront Consortium would continue until all of the required infrastructure is finished.
As part of the agreement that limits house-selling activity, called a consent order, the consortium also has to pay the council £10,000 to cover legal fees.
A Barry Waterfront Consortium spokesperson said: “We can confirm the consortium has reached an agreement with the Vale of Glamorgan Council through a consent order.
“Despite our view that the council’s actions were unwarranted given the positive progress made of late and the ongoing dialogue between all parties, we accept and acknowledge the delays in delivering the public open spaces within the development.
“We are well underway with all outstanding work in line with the programme shared with the council last year.
“We have continued to provide weekly updates to the local authority, attended regular meetings to highlight the progress made, and have paused the sale of all remaining properties as per the conditions of the consent order.
“We hope to continue working closely with the council as we look to complete the Barry Waterfront regeneration scheme as quickly as possible, providing a high-quality development for the local community.”
Cllr Burnett said: “I’m pleased an agreement has been reached to finally deliver all the outstanding community facilities that have long been promised to the residents of Barry Waterfront.
“Through regular meetings, we have made our strength of feeling clear to the developers in no uncertain terms and we have been determined to hold them accountable.
“The council remains committed to ensuring that all community aspects of the Waterfront Development are completed and will consider all action available to ensure this happens.”
The council initially sought to obtain an injunction to ensure delivery of the public open space on the site, however, the agreed consent order achieves the same outcome without the need for further court action.