SENIOR Ceredigion councillors have backed plans to sell a former school and adjoining land that is currently used as a play area.

The school and land in Beulah is valued at £165,000 and Ceredigion's cabinet approved plans to sell the asset when they met on Tuesday with a caveat stating 10 per cent of the site must be kept as a community play area.

The community council opposed the plans to sell the site and were told by the Chief Executive Eifion Evans that they need to come together and create a plan to purchase the site, similar to what has been done in Cilcennin and Cribyn.

A report to councillors said: “Following the closure of the school in 2019, the property has remained vacant. Part of the adjacent field has been leased to the Beulah Community Council since 2015, on a lease that expired earlier this year.

“The Assets Team have consulted with Beulah Community Council, who have voiced strong opposition.

“The Community Council have submitted an offer to purchase the field, however this offer falls significantly below the red-book valuation for the site.

“The Assets Team has already received expressions of interest from developers for the purchase of the full site.”

Llandysul councillor Keith Evans, speaking at the cabinet meeting, said: "It's disappointing that we are looking at this paper.

"We should be working with town and community councils.

"Moreso these days were are dependent on volunteers to look after toilets, clean streets maintaining libraries that the county council is not taking responsibility for.

"For me this goes against the ethos of trying to work together.

"There is land in Beulah already that can be developed for housing.

"Why upset something that has been in the community for decades.

"I can't see why we can't just sell the school as a school and keep the asset."

During the debate and future use of the site, the council’s Chief Executive, Eifion Evans interjected to say: “We are not dealing in rumours. It's wrong to say in such a forum that there are rumours that someone has an interest already.

"We haven't had discussions with anyone about this. What we've tried to do is to sell our asset as it is and there is no interest as it is.

"This now opens the door to provide wider opportunities for people.

"The community need to come together and create a plan that is a realistic one and our role then is to work with that community."

Cllr Evans pointed out that the report says the council had received an expression of interest from developers to buy the whole site, to which Mr Evans said: “You named a kind of developer and that is not in the report. We don't say it's one kind of developer.”

The cabinet backed proposals to sell the whole site on the open market with a restrictive covenant to ensure 10 per cent is dedicated to a community play area.