A pilot initiative to invest in raised beds for planting food in Aberystwyth will begin in Penparcau.

During a meeting on 22 March, Aberystwyth mayor Cllr Charlie Kingsbury asked councillors to support a motion to provide two raised beds for Penparcau, in the context of the Welsh Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation, which revealed the extent of deprivation in Penparcau.

Cllr Kingsbury explained: “Food poverty is a particular issue. One of the ideas that has come up in talking to various people and groups in Penparcau is that it would be really good if people had an opportunity to grow their food in a clean and safe way.”

Cllr Kingsbury said local groups are prepared to “take on the management of them” and support the council in choosing a location for the raised beds.

Cllr Mark Strong praised the motion but added: “There are a lot of people that don’t have any outside space that live in Central, Rheidol, and North Ward. So I would like this to be extended throughout the area that this town council represents.

“As much as the pockets aren’t as wide spread as in Penparcau, there are specific pockets of really bad poverty in Aberystwyth.”

Cllr Kingsbury responded: “My concern is that is we then open this up to the rest of Aberystwyth, it really misses the point that the greatest deprivation is in Penparcau.”

However, both Cllr Kingsbury and Cllr Strong agreed the initiative could only be extended to the rest of Aberystwyth if there were to be more than two planters.

Cllr Jeff Smith said: “I would indeed like to see it rolled out to the rest of town. But if we could get the ball rolling with Penparcau tonight that would be good.”

Cllr Nia Edwards-Behi added: “Maybe a way forward would be to add a bullet point to say that this is a pilot?”

Cllr Kingsbury accepted this amendment and councillors voted unanimously in favour of investing in the two planters, as a pilot scheme with the “view to implement it over the rest of Aberystwyth”.