The future of Aberystwyth’s oldest family-run business remains in the balance as it seeks to reduce the volume of a noisy extractor fan which drew complaints. 

The much-loved Rheidol Café and Cakery on Cambrian Street - known for its iconic birthday cream cakes enjoyed by generations of residents - has been operating in the town for 51 years. 

But complaints to Ceredigion County Council from the owner of a neighbouring building forced the Aberystwyth institution to close its doors temporarily on Christmas Eve last year. 

But owner David Lees has provided an update on the café’s Facebook page, saying he still doesn’t know if it will be able to reopen – as work to assess the fan and the options available for reducing its volume have been blocked due to scaffolding next door, he claims. 

Mr Lees - who took over running the bakery from his well-known father, Peter, five years ago – said: “Firstly we would like to apologise to everyone as we haven’t been in touch since the new year. We have kept away as the news wasn’t positive.  

“I would like to thank everyone for their very kind and thoughtful messages. It means so much and we are sorry that we haven’t been able to bake your cakes for your birthdays and special occasions and that we missed New Year, Dydd Santes Dwynwen, Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day, Dydd Dewi Sant and now Easter too.  

“We employed a sound engineer last year but unfortunately everything else is going so slowly - it is very depressing.  

“We need to put scaffolding up and because there is no space, we need to put it next door as well. 

“We were supposed to start last January and could start as soon as next door finished their extension, and this was all agreed with the local authorities to start from 1 to 31 January last year.  

“But sadly, next door’s scaffolding is still up two months later, so we can’t start cleaning the fan and having it serviced to see what is wrong.  

“I just don’t know what to do anymore!  

“The only thing we are thankful for is that we have had more time to care for my Dad. 

“(Thanks) to all the carers you do an amazing job – and family means so much.  

“We all love and aim to re-open the Rheidol as soon as it is feasibly possible but, at the moment, we just don’t know.  

“We hope to bring you good news as soon as we can. Diolch and thank you.”   

Mr Lees told the Cambrian News in December that the business cannot afford the legal fees if the case over the 40-year-old fan’s decibel levels goes to court. 

In late November, the county council’s environmental health team said the noise of the extractor would need be reduced dramatically from about 60 decibels to less than 30 by New Year’s Eve – meaning the family were afforded little more than a month to make it compliant. 

Mr Lees says the costs of paying for a silenced fan, moving the existing one or muffling it are likely to set the business back tens of thousands of pounds, which his family cannot afford. 

A GoFundMe page raised more than £3,000 which, along with £2,000 of Mr Lees’ own money, will pay for costly and now delayed assessments to be carried out on the extractor to examine all available options to bring it within compliant levels. 

Mr Lees admitted the chances of it reopening are slim without any support from the council or other grant funding. 

The bakery employed six members of staff - all students at Aberystwyth University - who are now thought to be out of the job. 

Ceredigion County Council told the Cambrian News in December it does not comment on individual cases.