Hot Spot: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan

Only seven miles from Cardiff, this seaside resort is riding the wave of Welsh property rises, says Robert Liebman

Location may be everything, but good timing and good luck can be something else entirely. It was inevitable that ripples from Cardiff, the comprehensively rejuvenated Welsh capital, would reach the market in Barry, further along the Bristol Channel. On arrival, they had the force of a tidal wave. Using Land Registry data for the largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Knight Frank notes that house prices increased 140 per cent in the last seven years. Rises were modest at first - 12 per cent one year, four the next and only one the year after that. But in the last three years, annual increases soared first to 60 and then to 40 per cent. "Barry has benefited from the considerable development and investment which has taken place in Cardiff, and it is a convenient commuter location for both Cardiff and Bridgend," the agent observes.

Part of the equation are the large numbers of residential units being built. Ongoing projects include houses in family- orientated estates, and waterfront flats aimed at singles and young couples. Although the town has a fair share of period homes, the period in question is relatively recent and the supply severely limited. Barry's current population is about 45,000, barely more than its 1920 total of 40,000.

In 1880, this area was little more than a collection of farms containing fewer than 100 people. Barry's rapid growth began in the late 1890s when its docks were built primarily for the export of coal. Around the same time, sharp-eyed entrepreneurs noted the "Kiss Me I'm Welsh" potential of the sandy beach at Barry Island. Soon, the area was taken up by fairground rides, a scenic railway, a massive figure-eight roller coaster and a Butlins. The latter three attractions are long gone, but the Pleasure Park still attracts some 400,000 visitors annually, from the Midlands and London as well as Bristol and south-east Wales.

"After the docks started to decline in the Fifties, Barry became a satellite of Cardiff," explains David Evans, manager of the Barry branch of agent Peter Alan. "Many people who live in Barry now work in Cardiff. Buyers who can't afford Cardiff come to Barry, and they are getting good-quality, new flats and houses."

Many more new homes remain to be built, and Andrew Barry, development manager at Peter Alan, believes that the new supply will fuel the market further and bring people into the town. "We expect property prices to rise about 14 per cent in Wales generally this year, and I expect Barry to be in line with that. The new build should keep it buoyant."

THE LOW-DOWN

Getting there

Cardiff serves Bristol and London Paddington. The service between Barry and Cardiff is hourly, but more frequent during peak times. Cardiff International Airport is 11 miles west of Barry.

Shopping

Barry has several large supermarkets, including a new Morrison on the Waterfront. The nearest large department stores and shopping centres are in Cardiff and Culverhouse Cross on the M4, five miles west of town.

Entertainment

Barry has a traditional cinema adapted for three screens. Memorial Hall Theatre offers theatrical performances, concerts and dinner dances.

Sport and leisure

Barry Leisure Centre has two swimming pools, badminton and squash courts, and a health and fitness studio with sauna and steam rooms, spa bath and sunbeds. Other Vale of Glamorgan leisure centres are in Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit. The 18-hole Brynhill Golf Club in Colcot is two miles from the town centre. Outside town is the nine-hole St Andrews Major Golf Club, and Porthkerry Country Park offers 18-hole pitch and putt.

Attractions

Barry Island beach and Pleasure Park has more than 50 rides as well as the Barry Island Railway Heritage Centre. Boat trips to Flat Holm Island Nature Reserve are available from Barry Harbour. Porthkerry Country Park has 220 acres of woods and meadowland, cliffs and a pebble beach. Nearby are the Welsh Hawking Centre and Fonmon Castle in Rhoose.

Prices

Peter Alan is selling a two-bed ground-floor flat with allocated parking in a nondescript modern block for £59,950, and a one-bed first-floor waterfront flat with balcony for £109,950 (a two-bed waterfront flat with dining room in Penarth is £275,000). At Allen & Harris, a two-bed maisonette and a two-bed mid-terraced house are both asking about £89,995.

Houses

At Peter Alan, a two-bed terrace on the northern edge of Barry is priced at £96,950, and at Allen & Harris, a four-bed terrace on three storeys is £99,950, but most houses are worth more than £100,000. In Pencoedtre Village in east Barry, a recently built four-bed detached house with garage is £199,950, and a larger five-bed detached house with integral double garage in the same estate is £245,000. An extended five-bed house in New Barn, Flemingston between St Athan and Cowbridge, is asking £299,950.

Bungalows

A three-bed detached bungalow with en-suite master bedroom, garage and gardens is £214,950. A two-bed detached home with sun room, bright front rooms and garage is considerably cheaper at £139,995. Both at Allen & Harris.

New

Westbury's David's Wharf (01446 722644) overlooks the dock area and has one- and two-bed flats currently starting from £121,000 up to £225,000. All flats above the first floor have glass balconies with wooden decking.

Estate agents

Allen & Harris, 01446 747878; Peter Alan, 01446 733224.