Councillors to hear report on £1.85m Lampeter University farm deal

Bruce Sinclair, Local Democracy Reporter

A report on the £1.85m behind closed doors purchase of a farm next to Lampeter’s university campus, where postgraduate education has now ended, is to be heard by senior councillors.

In a report before the September meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet, members and the public will receive further information on the acquisition of Lletty Twppa Farm, Llanfair Road, Lampeter.

Members had, in June, backed the purchase of an – at the time undisclosed – new strategic asset for Ceredigion County Council.

Vocational courses

The farm purchase, next to the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) campus in Lampeter, will help deliver vocational and post-16 courses in Ceredigion.

It follows the announcement earlier this year of the end of undergraduate teaching at what is Wales’s oldest campus, with courses transferred to Carmarthen this September.

At the time of the announcement, UWTSD said the number of students enrolling at Lampeter had made undergraduate provision unviable, with just 92 students remaining.

A report for Cabinet members ahead of the September meeting says said the purchase of the farmhouse and 129 acres of land, together with a separate parcel of adjoining land (5.3 acres) “provide good quality agricultural land, directly adjoining the University Trinity St Davids University campus, providing a unique opportunity for the farm to be used as part of a proposed vocational training facility in Lampeter”.

‘Unique opportunity’ 

The report also says Lletty Twppa had been marketed at an asking price of £1,850,000, the former mart fields marketed at £108,000; a sale agreed for both at £1,850,000, with a Transforming Towns loan of £2m already secured.

The report adds: “The facility will enable the development of a hands-on, practical training Resource in agriculture and environmental disciplines. This will bridge a gap that exists in such provision in Ceredigion currently, preparing students for careers in agriculture, environmental management, and sustainable development.

With a recommendation members note the report and purchase, it finishes: “The acquisition of Lletty Twppa Farm presents a unique opportunity to enhance vocational education, support regional development, and promote sustainable practices in Ceredigion. The project aligns with key strategic priorities and offers significant economic, social, and environmental benefits.”