Letter to the Editor: I share the concerns of many other recent correspondence to the Cambrian News regarding the number of empty shops in Aberystwyth, and I am dismayed to say that I too have a concern over your report (Fan noise could force Aber institution to close, Cambrian News, 30 November) to add to the ever-growing collection.

It is my understanding that some two years ago, Ceredigion County Council saw fit to grant the house next door HMO status, and I can only assume that no consideration was given to the house’s position adjacent to a long-established business.

A complaint relating to the noise generated by the cafe’s kitchen extractor fan has inevitably been raised to the council’s Environmental Health Department, and the council’s solution is to require that the business owner either install an entirely new ventilation system, or significantly cut usage of the existing system.

Both options are of course entirely unaff¬ordable for the business, especially given the present economic climate.

While I do sympathise with the complaining resident, I feel that this issue should have been identified long before HMO status was granted, and that the Rheidol Cafe is now the one being punished for the council’s lack of foresight.

The Rheidol Cafe is a business which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and as such has a deep connection with the local community, many of whom meet, socialise and thoroughly enjoy the cafe’s homemade food on a daily basis. It will be truly saddening if common sense does not prevail, and yet another independent local business is forced to close.

Tony Geraghty,

Aberystwyth