Madam,

I note with interest and some concern your story about possible changes in the use of the old primary school in Alexandra Road, Aberystwyth.

It seems that the owners and others are keen to create a “cafe quarter” out of the existing buildings. One thing that worries me is that Aberystwyth seems to be becoming awash with cafés and somewhat top heavy with them and take-away food outlets already. I mean how many more cafés can Aberystwyth viably stand and do we really need them? I’ll be honest that I don’t really understand what is meant by this very broad term ”Quarter”.

Is this term supposed to elevate the cultural status of the town? It is not Barcelona and anyone who allows themselves to be fooled into that notion is going to be very disappointed when they get here.

It’s a small Victorian seaside town, which happens to have a university. It seems to me that life and services in the town are mostly about making money and the retail and hospitality sector. As for jobs, a lot of those jobs are part-time and are taken up by students to fund their education and lifestyle. It is those attractive and clever young people who seem to be mostly in demand by those companies. As a result the local population of all ages who are resident here don’t get the chance of such employment because they just cannot compete with that. The same thing will happen if this “café quarter” goes ahead. I guarantee that the people who will benefit most are “chains” from elsewhere and the student population in jobs.

However, I have a proposal. As was well reported in the Cambrian News over a very long time, local people have been very aggrieved about the closure of the Park Avenue Day centre which was moved to the new town library. People were very unhappy about it because of its relatively inconvenient location and the facilities in comparison to the former one.

We, and the council, should take an interest in this development and, whilst it is no longer in its possession, could perhaps influence the outcome of such a development to provide better social facilities for local people.

Primarily to have a new day centre there because it’s in the heart of the town, close to the main interface of transport, shopping and many other amenities that makes it much, much easier for the elderly and infirm.

Something is also needed for the youth and young families in this town where they can socialise in a comfortable and safe environment that is neither remote nor subject to the vagaries of the weather.

I hope that my remarks will stimulate some debate about the future of the old school and some of the local problems that I see in Aberystwyth.

Yours etc

Robert Morris

Primrose Hill

Llanbadarn Fawr

Aberystwyth.