Vale of Glamorgan Council helps light the way to Barry shops
The Vale of Glamorgan Council has helped establish a new lighting installation within the railway tunnel between Broad Street and Hood Road in Barry.
The scheme was commissioned as part of the Barry making Waves initiative, funded by the National lottery Heritage Fund, which aims to celebrate Barry’s sense of place.
The aim of the scheme is to integrate the newly-developed waterfront area of Barry with the High Street and Broad Street retail areas.
Despite the distance between the two areas being a short walk, the dark tunnel under the railway was perceived as a barrier, dissuading pedestrians from moving between these two areas.
Architainment Lighting Ltd, in collaboration with artist Jessica Lloyd Jones, were appointed through an open competitive process to design a new lighting scheme that would transform the tunnel into a bright, welcoming, and engaging space.
The lighting scheme has a number of programmes and settings and is customisable for special days, such as rainbow colours for Pride and Red, White and Green lighting for St David’s Day.
Cllr Lis Burnett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Education, is thrilled with the installation, saying:
“This is a wonderful addition to what is quickly becoming one of the most vibrant areas in the Vale of Glamorgan.
“With the Goodshed development on one side and High Street and Broad Street on the other, I’m certain local residents will enjoy walking through the tunnel to access the excellent facilities that they have on their doorstep.”
Fay Blakeley , Owner of Homemade Wales on High Street and Chair of Barry Place Board, said:
“Now that shops are starting to open again, I think it’s really important that we encourage Waterfront residents to explore the whole town whilst they are still going for daily walks.
“With social distancing restricting parking in the shopping areas, it may be an additional incentive for people to take a walk in the area - something we have to encourage as much as possible.”