The leader of Ceredigion County Council says he believes a new agricultural college in Lampeter will keep youngsters in the county.

The council received a £2 million loan from the Welsh Government over the summer to purchase Lletty Twppa Farm on Llanfair Road, in Lampeter, adjacent to the town’s university, which it plans to convert into an agricultural college.

The decision to purchase the farm for £1.85 million was made behind closed doors due to commercial sensitivity.

A report into the purchase was put before cabinet members on Tuesday, who spoke of their excitement at the plans.

Leader, Cllr Bryan Davies, said: “I have been pushing the agenda on this.

"There is a vision with the officers on this and I have been 100 per cent supportive of this as a farmer and engineer.

"I could see how many young people we were losing and that's just down to the agricultural element.

"The fact that I am a leader on a county council where the main industry is agriculture, it was a pity that so many of our young people were leaving the county so this is a step in a right direction and the vision is enormous.

"There is a huge space. We can nurture the talent and attracting young people from different areas. Not trampling on other people's feet as it where and Gelli Aur for example. This will be different.

"This provides a boost to agriculture in Ceredigion."

Cllr Shelley Childs said the purchase was a ‘no brainer’ adding: “Kids can now chase their dreams in Ceredigion”.

The Chief Executive said that a prospectus for the new site should be ready by the end of the month and said that the council would need to invest in the campus.

He added: “There is so much enthusiasm for this from inside and outside the county.

“It won’t be competing with someone like Gelli Aur. We won't be doing dairy.

“We will be concentrating on sustainability and modern techniques that is relevant to the size of farms in Ceredigion.

“As far as loan is concerned we have an excellent deal.”

Other councillors spoke of how much Lampeter needed the project, with local member Ann Bowen Morgan saying: “People are delighted with this development.”

No timeline has been revealed as to when the campus may be open to students and legal discussions between the university and county council are ongoing.

Concerns had been raised that the development of the Lampeter campus could lead to the closure of Coleg Ceredigion sites in Aberystwyth and Cardigan.

University of Wales Trinity Saint David who operate both Coleg Ceredigion and the Lampeter campus have denied this, saying “There are currently no proposals or plans to remove post-16 education from Aberystwyth or Cardigan.”

The university removed undergraduate teaching from Lampeter, transferring courses to Carmarthen earlier this year, putting the future of Wales’ oldest campus in doubt.

The purchased farm consists of a farmhouse, 129 acres of land and a separate parcel of adjoining land (5.3 acres).