Barry Island Pleasure Park discuss the future of Aerospace

Henry Danter waxes lyrical about his most famous ride, one of only three in the world, 65 metres tall, that whizzes people round upside down and inside out at up to 75mph, however Mr Danter is looking at the future of Aerospace in Barry.

The numbers behind Aerospace? According to Mr Danter it cost almost £3m to build, it can run up to over £1,500 in maintenance and running costs a week, the lights on it alone cost £100,000, the paybox was £25k, it’s the biggest consumer of electricity in the park, and most importantly, it needs to stay running emphasised Mr Danter.

“People come along way to see us,” said Mr Danter, “so we have to use it.”

How far? According to Mr Danter, from across the globe – while we were there, we met a Dutch father and son who had come from the Netherlands to ride Barry Island’s Aerospace so they could complete the ‘holy trinity of thrill rider experiences’ having ridden all three Aerospace’s in existence.

The issue is Aerospace costs a lot to make one of those rotations – and consumes a lot (up to 45 gallons of diesel a day; around 170 litres or six tanks of car fuel).

But, Mr Danter insists Aerospace has to run every day, otherwise his park users, who filter into the park throughout the whole week, would be left disappointed.

“Some days there might be just two people using it, but they might have come along way,” said Mr Danter.

“A lot of people come from the US. Last week a whole truck load came down wanting to use it. I can’t say to them ‘oh it’s closed because the park is quiet today’.

“We try to keep aerospace open every day.”

Mr Danter has gone into detail about the costs of running Aerospace (Image: Newsquest)

People come from all over the world to ride Aerospace, including Dutchmen Julius Vermolen, 21, pictured with father Cornelius (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Danter is considering temporarily removing Aerospace from the park in quieter periods such as through winter and ‘renting’ it to other parks.

So it’s back to the age old question – Mr Danter wants to build holiday accommodation in Barry. One of the pieces of land he has earmarked for this potential development is Hayes Road, however, there has been furious backlash from the community with the site being wedged between Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice and Beechwood College.

Mr Danter wants to build a holiday park in Barry. One of the sites he has is on the Sully coastline at Hayes Road, pictured (Image: Vilis Paul Kuksa)

On the proposed idea, Tŷ Hafan has previously said: “We will oppose the development of any holiday park, or such amenities, on the land immediately next door.” It’s clear their opinion has not changed."

And where does Vale Council stand on this – with them being the key masters holding all the keys, specifically their planning department.

In an updated statement, the council reiterated Mr Danter would have to go through the respective channels to get the ball rolling on hid holiday camp dream.

A council spokesperson said: “If Mr Danter wants an application for holiday accommodation to be fully assessed, he needs to submit a planning application to that effect. So far this has not happened.”

Got a story in Barry? Email harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.