EVERYBODY is buzzing about Barry.
As the Waterfront Weekender brings thousands of visitors, massive plans to breathe new life into this old town are making ripples across the country.
Not only do we have a fantastic two days of entertainment, but the Waterfront Development Scheme and the Town Centre Regeneration is putting the area at the top of the hot property list and showing the rest of the world that Barry means booming business.
With the housing market on the up, Welsh properties are increasing more than anywhere else in the UK, with the average house now costing £123,685.
Cardiff has seen vast improvements over the years - with more promised.
However many people, especially first-time buyers, find themselves travelling out to the suburbs or nearby valleys where house prices are more affordable.
Just ten miles along the coast from Wales' capital city, 'Waterfront Barry' mirrors the success of the Cardiff Bay transformation.
Over the past ten years the development, one of the UK's largest urban-regeneration schemes, has attracted over £100m of investment, and continues to attract leading house builders and top quality shops and leisure facilities.
Waterfront Barry is a joint initiative between Associated British Ports (ABP) and the Welsh Development Agency (WDA).
The mixed-use scheme on disused former industrial land at 'Number 1 Dock' continues to raise Barry's profile on a national basis as a dynamic and successful area in which to live and work. And as this event proves, it is the perfect place for the community to get together and enjoy a break from the hum-drum of everyday life.
There's new development planned for Jackson's Quay, where Redrow hopes to build 84 private homes and 27 affordable homes for rent, alongside a community centre, a doctor's surgery and pharmacy, and open space to benefit the community in and around the waterfront. All this accompanies the development of Holton Reach and land that has also been allocated for a new footbridge to link the area with the town centre.
The Morrisons' new retail park development now boasts a Focus DIY store and Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, and will soon welcome an Argos into the fold.
Waterfront Barry benefits from excellent transport communications and is served by three railway stations, providing easy and rapid access to Cardiff, with links to the national rail network. New road links provide direct access to the town centre and also quick connections to Cardiff, while the M4 provides easy access to London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Swansea. Cardiff Wales International Airport is situated only three miles away from Waterfront Barry, with regular flights to UK and European cities as well as connections worldwide.
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