A prominent businessman and famed climate campaigner has welcomed the reopening of a key Princetown building.

The former Dartmoor National Park Visitor centre closed last year amid warnings this would devastate village businesses and crush community vitality by slashing customer numbers.

In response to concerns, the building’s owner the Duchy of Cornwall recently announced it will reopen its doors this summer as a space for artists, a cafe and an information centre, much to the relief of residents and businesses.

Jim McNeill, owner of the outdoor equipment shop BaseCamp in the village and Global Warrior environmental expeditions, says the closure of the visitor led to the loss of two businesses.

He urged the community to support the new centre and stimulate a resurgence of confidence in the local economy.

He said: “The reopening and the commitment shown by the Duchy of Cornwall, represents something genuinely significant.

“It is not a quick fix, and nobody should pretend otherwise. But it is the first meaningful step towards restoring Princetown to the thriving, purposeful community it once was. And can be again. We welcome it wholeheartedly, and we urge all those with an interest in this village's future to get behind it.”

He said: “When the Dartmoor National Park Authority closed its Princetown offices and the visitor centre, many of us who live and work here feared the worst. Those fears, sadly, have proven well-founded. We’ve watched footfall decline sharply since its closure.

“The subsequent loss of the Dewerstone and Hunt The Moon businesses compounded the problem considerably.

“Princetown's high street, which should by rights be a vibrant gateway to one of Britain's most spectacular national parks, has instead been left with a growing number of empty premises and a dwindling number of reasons for visitors to stop, stay and spend.”

He said the decline of the high street was not down to the prison closure, as some suggested, mainly because the staff (as potential customers) lived out of the village.

“The real turning point was the National Park's decision to abandon its presence here. This was a withdrawal that sent a damaging signal about Princetown's future at precisely the moment the village needed confidence and investment.

“Princetown should be the heart and hub of outdoor adventure on Dartmoor, a place that draws walkers, cyclists, climbers and explorers from across the country. It has all the ingredients; what it has lacked is commitment.”

Jim said there remained other challenges in rejuvenating Princetown, including vacant offices in the old visitor centre, the unrealised potential of the whisky distillery, the derelict prison officers' mess and the ‘urgent need for quality businesses’ to breathe new life into the high street.

The reopened centre will be called Gather & Moor, due to open in July to support visitors and residents. The Duchy said it realised the vital role the old visitor centre to the local economy.

Gather & Moor will include a café serving ‘simple, wholesome food using locally sourced ingredients’ from across Dartmoor and Devon, and a retail area and flexible workshop and exhibition spaces.

The centre was closed by the national park authority for financial reasons.