New Aberystwyth Uni halls 'affecting town economy'

Aberystwyth University's new £45m hall of residence is having a detrimental effect on the town's economy because of its focus on campus life, business leaders have claimed.

Fferm Penglais hall opened in January after delays prevented it opening at the start of the academic year in 2014.

The Chamber of Commerce warned businesses could close if student spending was focused on the campus.

The university said long-term the hall would bring in millions to the town.

Aberystwyth Chamber of Commerce chairman Chris Mackenzie-Grieve said: "You can see by the amount of vacant properties in town now, whereas town before had no vacant properties.

"So those students are not in town. They're up the hill, and what's the incentive for them to come down?

"They're building a lot more facilities up there, not just accommodation facilities but also shopping facilities etc, so it becomes much more campus orientated."

However, Aberystwyth University said it had no plans to develop on-campus shopping facilities.

A spokesman added around half of the student population lived in private accommodation in town, and many of the other halls of residence were also located in town along the sea front.