Proposals to transform a Barry Island attraction into a multi-million pound mixed use development have been thrown out by the local council, just days before the annual Barry Island Pleasure Park fairground opens for Whitmore Bay’s summer season.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council said the permanent redevelopment scheme – which it initially backed two years ago – had no “realistic” way of moving forward, but added it is eager to speak to the site’s co-owners over alternative leisure options.

Under the proposals put forward by development agents Asbri Planning, 4,738sq m (51,000sq ft) was to be given over to leisure – including a cinema, indoor attractions and restaurants – within the 1.9 hectare (4.7 acre) mixed use scheme.

The council said the outline planning permission had been granted subject to a S106 legal agreement – a mechanism which makes a development proposal acceptable in planning terms, that would not otherwise be acceptable – which the site’s owners had subsequently not signed and it later became apparent that there was no way of moving forward.

“The council has advised previously that it would be prepared to consider mixed uses as long as those include leisure and commercial uses which add to the facilities and attractions available at the island,” the Vale Council's director of development services Rob Thomas told Barry and Districts News

“As the condition of the site is deteriorating, all parties need to secure a reuse of the site as soon as possible. It is my view that the uncertainty surrounding the previous development proposal has not helped the situation."