Plans for a new council owned café in Barry’s town centre has been met with controversy.
On January 25, the Vale council first unveiled plans for a courtyard café and events space at Barry Library.
On X the council said: ‘We are working with Landsker Wales to explore creating a vibrant, inclusive courtyard café and events space at Barry Library.’
Katherine Marzano local business owner (Image: Katherine Marzano) 57-year-old Katherine Marzano runs Fountains Tea Room. Her family-run business has been on Barry Highstreet for 20 years.
Like many other traders she’s upset by the council’s plans for the town centre.
She said: “No matter what our opinions are the council will go ahead and do what they want. They don’t care about small businesses. You can see why so many shops have closed in Barry. They’d rather them shut than drop rates. I’ve had my tearoom 20 years and I’m struggling as people don’t want to come town anymore.
“They charge us over £600 a year to put tables chairs out and over £100 pound for an advertising board and when there’s events on, they park burger vans right outside my shop. Why don’t the council refuse them, so the town cafes get more trade?
“Now they want to charge for street parking apparently, which will stop more people coming to town and, as for the council café, they’re having a laugh. Just want to line their own pockets once again.”
Sign to the town centre (Image: NQ) In a meeting carried out by the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee plans for future town developments were discussed.
Barry councillor and member of Plaid Cymru Ian Johnson said: “I’m only half joking or playing devil’s advocate when I ask why the council is determined to wreck the county’s main shopping street?
“Whether that’s the car park proposal tonight or setting up a town centre café in competition with six private sector coffee shops that already pay staff rates and rents.”
A spokesperson for the Vale of Glamorgan Council said: “The Vale of Glamorgan Council is currently exploring options to transform the outdoor space at Art Central Gallery and Barry Library using money from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
“The space is currently inaccessible and in need of repair, and the council has commissioned a feasibility study with the consultancy firm Landsker Business Solutions to see what options would be viable – including the possible development of a café and events space.
“The council will consider all responses to the feasibility study carefully before deciding upon the best course of action for the space.”
Plaid Cymru councillor for Barry Town Centre, Cllr Ian Johnson, said: “The Vale Council needs to tread very carefully when setting up a café in competition with other local businesses.
“The cafes on Holton Road already employ staff, pay rent to their landlords and pay business rates to the Vale Council. They are charged by the Vale Council for using outdoor space on the street for chairs and tables.
“The Courtyard area in Barry Library may be a lovely space for a café, but if it takes trade away from other shops on the street and creates unfair competition between the council and local business, then it will cause a lot of bad blood.
“This, of course, at the same time that the Labour-run Vale Council are proposing to close the Court Road Multi-Storey Car Park, which is used by many shop workers and shoppers through the day, and will reduce the overall amount of town centre parking by more than 220 spaces.”
