Madam,

We are writing on behalf of residents of more than 30 properties of Bryn Road, Lampeter, to express our concern at the planned demolition of the old red brick school building along Bryn Road and its replacement with a two-storey block of 12 one-bedroom flats. This building, which was built around the turn of the 19th century, is an important part of Lampeter’s heritage – as is beautifully documented in I Lygad y Ffynnon, by Bethan Phillips and Huw Emlyn Jenkins, 2003 (Gomer Press). It was opened in 1903 and since then generations of local children have passed through its doors, and many still have a strong attachment to this school building. With its distinctive architecture and red brick frontage, it is a notable landmark, which is located on one of the main thoroughfares of the town. To our mind, this building offers an ideal opportunity for sensitive conversion into a block of flats (as recommended in the Local Development Plan) or to some other use which befits its status (eg, as a permanent site for Lampeter’s Museum, perhaps with craft workshops).

Clearly, if there were a proven demand for an additional 12 one-bedroomed flats to house people from the Lampeter area, then we could understand the importance of providing these. However, there are already several housing association properties with such flats in Lampeter that are not occupied by local people, but by others who have been encouraged to move to housing in Lampeter from elsewhere, both within and outside Wales. This leads us to question the need for a development on this scale, and we do wonder how Lampeter surgery, our two local hospitals, the ambulance service, NHS dentists and other public services, which are already stretched to capacity, will be able to cope with the additional numbers. Further details of these and our other concerns can be found on our facebook group: ‘Proposed future of former Lampeter Primary School’.

Yours etc,

John Crowther, Dilys Davies, Eirwyn Davies, Cerdin Price, Helen Thomas, Dorothy Williams and Janice Williams, Bryn Road, Lampeter.

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