The Henry Danter era at Barry Island was meant to herald a new dawn for the dilapidated pleasure park.
In early 2015 the fairground supremo arrived with promises of a £22m redevelopment of the site and plans to see it become "the best tourist attraction in Wales" within five years.
Mr Danter said he and the family had many ideas including a museum with classic cars, old fruit machines and World War II aeroplanes on the roof. It would be open all year round, apart from Christmas Day, he said.
It was expected that would help revive the once revered tourist destination.
Yet the two-and-a-half years since the arrival has been overshadowed by spats between Mr Danter and the council.
Mr Danter says he spent between three and five million pounds, so far, but might not spend anymore following the latest disputes.
In the summer the fairground was accused of building an extension at the park without the correct planning permission.
This was taken down.
This month the 100ft big wheel was embroiled in a planning permission argument.
This too was taken down.
While Mr Danter says he was instructed to take down the wheel , the council say it did not ask for it’s removal.
They say Mr Danter accepted that planning permission was required and he was advised a planning application should be submitted as soon as possible.
This was so that the acceptability of the structure could be assessed as part of the planning process, which would have included consultation with other agencies such as the Civil Aviation Authority or Natural Resources Wales.
But Mr Danter is at a loss to explain this latest argument with the council.
"We want to work with the council not against them," he said.
"We have put all our family wealth here to make it a better place, so why they are doing this to us I don't know.
"I thought our relationship was very good, we made Barry great again.
"We put the heart back into Barry. We have made Barry what it is. It was down the pan, it was a terrible site, it was just a lost cause."
The fairground owner said they have spent millions and made great gains, but can not understand the dispute.
"Jealously? Hatred? Madness? I don't know," he said.
Jonathan Bird, Vale of Glamorgan council cabinet member for regeneration and planning, said: "The council has been attempting to work with Mr Danter for a number of years.
"Advice and guidance has been offered at numerous meetings, including advising on all relevant legislative requirements before proposals are undertaken.
"Unfortunately, it has been very rare for Mr Danter to heed that advice, instead progressing work without reference back to the relevant council departments.
Mr Bird says the current position with the ferris wheel is a case in point.
"At no time has Mr Danter informed the council of the intention to erect a new wheel and no advice has been sought as to the need for planning permission.
"That aside, it is important to stress that despite writing to Mr Danter to advise him of the need for planning permission for the new wheel [which he accepts] along with other outstanding planning issues which remain unresolved, at no point was Mr Danter asked to take down the ferris wheel, neither was any other enforcement action taken against him in relation to the structure.
"Mr Danter has simply been asked to apply for planning permission for a structure that by law required consent. There is absolutely no personal element to this issue. Clearly, the law applies to everyone and any other resident or business behaving in this fashion would have been dealt with in exactly the same way.
"Planning permission is required for a number of very good reasons, one being to ensure any building or structure is safe. I’m sure anyone queuing to ride a ferris wheel would want to know it was safe and it would be grossly negligent of the Council not to make absolutely certain this was the case."
Former glory, future success
Barry Island holds great memories for many and with the new era it was anticipated many more could be made.
It was this reason Mr Danter had decided to invest.
"When I was a boy it was the number one place in Wales, it was my passion and dream to put it back were it belonged at the top," he said.
It was expected local businesses would benefit from the fairgrounds revival.
And indeed they did.
The Easter weekend in 2015 came just 96 hours from the Danters receiving the keys, but they worked day and night to get ready.
The boost for the local businesses was immediate.
Chip shop owner Boofy Clemo, who runs Boofy’s fish and chips shop on the promenade, said that weekend in April 2015 he had "never seen anything like it" and even had to shut up shop early when he ran out of stock.
He couldn't remember a weekend like it, he said.
The huge influx of visitors brought with it traffic chaos, with some visitors reported being stuck in jams for three hours trying to get off the Island.
A second road to the Island and a change in lights have eased the burden since.
Changes on the fairground site have followed.
A year after the takeover a new log flume was installed, which cost more than a £1m to bring the ride over from France.
Mr Danter also acquired the building that was formerly The Dolphin pub on Friar's Road, next to the Pleasure Park, but plans for that are on hold, he says, until this latest dispute has been resolved.
All plans the Danters have are on hold. And he says he is unsure of whether he will continue investing. He estimates that they have spent between three and five million on the site so far and sees a growth in the market.
"The tourist trade is improving , it is getting, better, getting stronger every year," he said.
A view backed up by Loftco managing director Simon Baston, who was behind the redevelopment of the award-winning Pumphouse in the town.
Mr Baston, who is in the process of acquiring the former goods shed on Barry Waterfront to renovate and add an entertainment village made of shipping containers, said: "The decline of the pound, Brexit and terrorism fears means that more and more of us are likely to be holidaying in the UK, and Wales with its wonderful natural assets is perfectly placed to benefit from this, but only if we act fast and with ambition and aspiration.
"Barry Island would definitely benefit from a number of mixed use, high-end staycation units, that have a leisure, destination, experience built in."
A united (sea)front
A seaside town that's successfully reinvented itself is Margate in Kent, England.
Margate – which has has since been dubbed Shoreditch-on-Sea – has seen the regeneration of the Dreamland Pleasure Park and the opening of the Turner Contemporary art gallery in 2011 that has helped turnaround the fortunes of the town.
Lonely Planet said the town had been "gentrified without losing its personality” and made it the number one on a list of Europe’s best family holiday destinations.
Visit Kent Acting Head of Marketing, Sinead Hanna said: "More and more visitors are discovering Kent’s stunning coastline, and our coastal towns are enjoying a fantastic period of regeneration thanks to the combined efforts of local tourism business, local authorities and the county’s destination management organisation.
"Margate is a great success story for the county, with the revival of Dreamland Margate, the arrival of the fantastic Turner Contemporary gallery, and scores of chic eateries, art studios and independent shops attracting thousands of visitors each year.
"Every destination has its own unique story and challenges and successful regeneration does not happen overnight, and it has been our experience that a long-term, collaborative approach to boosting the local visitor economy brings in best results for future generations."
This latest disagreement between the council and Mr Danter seems to have pushed the two sides further apart.
"We built it back up, we've trebled the trade, we've put it back on the map, but it must be jealously," Mr Danter said.
"There is obviously someone who doesn't like what we are doing and they've turned the council against us. That's all I can put it down to. I don't know more than that.
"I think it could have been more reasonable, I don't think they had to take this attitude."
"Sadly it is going to end up in court. It doesn't have to. We don't want to go to court, we don't want more hassle, we want to work with them."
Mr Bird said: "The council remains willing to work with Mr Danter, providing advice and guidance.
"However, the regeneration of Barry Island is due to a number of factors, not least the extensive Events programme funded and planned by the Council and the significant investment to refurbish the promenade, something that hat has previously been recognised one of the best examples of planning and design in the UK.
"Those improvements have included upgrading of the Grade II Listed Edwardian shelter, the re-use of the former 1930's changing rooms as modern toilet facilities and the creation of distinctive new beach huts."
