News editor Dylan Davies caught up with an old friend, Carl Worrall, who was voted in as county councillor for Penparcau in May, to discuss the state of the Aberystwyth area and what needs to change.

Four months since being voted in as county councillor for Penparcau, Carl says the one word that would describe his time in office is frustration as he discusses the state of Aberystwyth and Penparcau – and what needs to be done to regenerate the area.

“I can’t speak to officers. Instead I have to email them with concerns raised by members of the public in Penparcau. Some of those emails just go unanswered and I am the one getting questioned on the street over what is happening and those people have a go at me when there are no answers.

“There is no human connection. As councillors we need to be able to speak with council officers and they need to be in the office again.”

“I am making enquiries to find out whether Penparcau can have its own community council.

“There are 1,400 homes in Penparcau. We are bigger than Lampeter, Aberaeron, Llandysul.

“We feel we aren’t getting our fair share and we need to be treated with more respect.

“There is a lot of talk about getting street cleaners back in Aberystwyth, which it needs, but they also need to come to Penparcau.

“We pay a lot in out taxes to Ceredigion and Aberystwyth Town Council as we are a ward of the town council. We should be treated the same way, but any investment doesn’t seem to come to Penparcau.

“We don’t even have a pub in the village any more since they bulldozed the Tollgate.

“I know the hub is there, but not everyone uses the hub.

“We lost a lot of our identity when they closed Bodlondeb and before then, when we lost the football pitch in the centre of the village (where the roundabout is today).

“It broke my heart when they closed Bodlondeb. People were proud that it was in our village. Penparcau was built around Bodlondeb.

“We are struggling for places to house elderly people, surely something could have been done to keep the care home open. Elderly people have to leave the county for care now. We should be able to look after our old people.

“More should be done to celebrate Pen Dinas too.

“Whenever you travel away, seeing that tower is a beacon and you know you’re nearly home.

“The village signs should say ‘home to iron age fort of Pen Dinas’.

“There should be better signage to show people how to get up there and there should be more at the top of the hill.

“It’s all overgrown at the moment and there is so much dog poo.

“As for a community hub, perhaps we should aim to buy a community-run pub or meeting place where we can get together in Penparcau A focal point”

“Dirty old town has got a lot of people talking. It is dirty and a lot of work needs to be done.

“Towns like Cardigan and Aberaeron seem to be thriving, and I congratulate them for that. They’re doing what’s right for them.

“But Aberystwyth seems to be dying, we are dying.

“We are the biggest seaside town in the county and the gateway to Ceredigion with the train station. If Aberystwyth does well, the whole county does well.

“People from the Aberystwyth area are proud to be from Aberystwyth and they are not being listened to.

“The town is in desperate need of regeneration and investment.

“We need young blood with a different way of looking at things to come up with ideas to improve the town.

“The castle grounds. So much more could be done up there. A splash park on the old pitch and putt. Making more use out of the castle grounds. It’s safe up there for families.

“There is very little for youngsters to do in the town. The paddling pool on the promenade being a sand pit is such a loss to the town.

“We need events and we need attractions. Aberystwyth is a seaside town, a tourist town. Big events would bring people into the town.

“Look at Llandudno. Imagine if Aberystwyth was half as good as Llandudno encouraging visitors.

“Aberystwyth is also a market town. The shops have left the high street. Let’s bring the market back to our streets.

“Also, we need to establish a Christmas market – somewhere like Plascrug Avenue that was suggested last year. 12 weeks of Christmas market. That would attract people.

“The town does look dirty. There are people trying their best to clean up the place voluntarily. Like Kerry Ferguson, for example. She does a great job and is doing it voluntarily.

“We need to celebrate Aberystwyth and make it a place people are proud of once again and visitors want to come to.

“We need to open the door to new ideas.

“We should hold meetings in the town between the county council and residents to discuss ideas and concerns.”

“The signposts for Southgate were removed years ago, much to the protest of residents along the road.

“Those signs should be put up again.

“Southgate is an historical entrance to Penparcau and Aberystwyth.”

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