Barry's Amusements in Portrush sold to developer Michael Herbert

Barry's has been run by the Trufelli family since it opened in 1926

The Barry's Amusements site in Portrush has been sold to property developer Michael Herbert, BBC News NI understands.

It was being marketed as a development opportunity so is highly likely to be used for housing.

The 2.23-acre site in the seaside town was put on the market in November 2019.

The Trufelli family, which owned the venue since it opened in 1926, had originally hoped it would be sold as a going concern.

However, it was remarketed as a development opportunity in May 2021.

It is understood to have attracted significant interest from developers and made more than the asking price.

The venue has been closed during the Covid-19 pandemic

The County Antrim venue, with its blend of fairground attractions and amusement arcades, has been a popular site for Northern Ireland holidaymakers for generations.

Mr Herbert, who is understood to have bought the site, is one of Northern Ireland's richest people.

• 'I found the love of my life on the dodgems'

He and his wife Lesley have significant interests in house building and commercial property.

The multi-millionaires sold 146 outlets of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchise for an undisclosed sum last year.

They had built up the UK's largest KFC franchise over 40 years.

The top company in the Herberts' group turned over £183m in 2018, delivering a pre-tax profit of almost £10m.

Barry's has been a familiar landmark for generations of Northern Ireland holidaymakers

SDLP MLA Cara Hunter, who is from Portrush, said she wanted to meet the new owner to discuss concerns that some residents had about the potential development.

She said she hoped the history and significance of the site would be taken into consideration in any new project.

"While any investment in the area will have benefits, I understand Barry's is a place held dear in the hearts of many in the north coast and across the entire north," she said.

"There are also concerns around the building of more expensive apartments in this area - local people already feel they are being priced out of Portrush and I hope this too will be considered."

How did Barry's begin?

Barry's first opened in Portrush in 1926, after Evelyn Chipperfield and Francesco Trufelli, members of two circus families, met in Ireland and later married.

Evelyn had been in Ireland performing with her four sisters, while Francesco, a former trapeze artist, was director of the touring Royal Italian Circus.

Evelyn became the agent for the circus.

They continued to tour Ireland together and in 1926 were invited by the Railway Company to set up a permanent site in Portrush.

According to its website, the name Barry's was chosen because Chipperfield's was too long and Trufelli's too foreign, and the first delivery lorry at the site had the name Barr on it.