You just cannot keep him down. After shelving plans to create a family holiday park in Sully following two years of local battles, the ebullient Henry Danter has unveiled plans to create a “Disneyland of Wales” on the site of Cardiff Airport, telling Wales Online “it’s a lot of land and could be put to very good use.”
Unphased by having to abandon plans for a family holiday park in Sully, Barry Island Pleasure Beach owner Henry Danter has announced brand new proposals to create a “Disneyland of Wales” in Rhoose, less than three miles from the south Wales resort.
Despite his favoured plot currently being occupied by Cardiff Airport, Danter told Wales Online that the site “could be put to very good use,” with the region urgently needing to re-energise its leisure sector by building new attractions and accommodation.
“My plans would be very good for Wales,” said Danter. “The airport continues to lose a lot of money. I’m trying to talk to the council. I’ve been trying to talk to the council for ten years. I really would like to expand. It’s a lot of land and could be put to very good use which would be in the interests of Wales as a whole.”
“I am trying very hard to try and persuade the local authority to do this in order to bring more opportunities to Wales. We need a site and a big enough one. I’m thinking of something like Disneyland Paris. It could be the Disneyland of Wales. They’re doing it at Alton Towers too, which is very popular.”
The plans are part of Danter’s ongoing commitment to growing Wales’ tourism industry, with the lack of accommodation currently a stumbling block for many families keen to visit Barry and the surrounding area.
“To make money you need to cater for what people want, and in Barry Island what I’m constantly hearing is people want to spend longer than a day or two days.”
“Wales has lost many industries but what we have got is the leisure industry, which makes Spain and many other places so successful. We ought to try and copy it in south Wales and see if we can do something along similar lines. To do that we need a lot more accommodation than we have now.”
It was, however, a very different tone coming out of the local authority. Drab, miserable and clearly defensive, commenting on Danter’s ambitious plans, a Vale of Glamorgan council spokesman said: “The council has always been willing to discuss proposals regarding development with Mr Danter and any other individual. But all such proposals must be subject to relevant planning policies and processes.”
Little wonder no-one’s queueing up to talk to them – probably all caught up on the Vale of Glamorgan council’s enthusiasm bypass.
