A FLAGSHIP regeneration project to boost the arts in West Devon has been forced to close due to a funding crisis.

Integria, the creative consultancy which manages and operates Duchy Square Centre for Creativity in Princetown, this week announced that it had reluctantly taken the decision to temporarily close the centre to the public.

Integria says the decision is due to the combination of a delay in funding from the European Crysalis project, coupled with a higher than anticipated fall in visitor numbers, caused by the current economic situation.

Under the terms of the Crysalis project, matched funding must be found by Integria and other project partners. Integria has already invested a considerable sum of money in the project and subsequent delays in receiving its element of the matched funding has put pressure on the running costs at Duchy Square.

A spokesman for Integria apologised for any inconvenience the closure had caused, but stressed he anticipated it would only be a temporary measure.

'Sadly the delay in receiving the monies, which we are entitled to as part of the Crysalis project, as well as a significant fall in visitors, have combined to put considerable pressure on our running costs at Duchy Square, but I am confident the funding will be in place very soon and the centre can then re-open as normal,' said the spokesman.

Crysalis is a three-year European-funded project focussed on textiles both in the UK and Europe and will further enhance the development of the textile hub at Duchy Square.

Integria say Duchy Square is working with other partners to open up cross-Europe opportunities for South West textile practitioners. The other partners in the project are Calais Lace Museum, Campus Tio3 in Belgium and the University of Creative Arts in Kent.

Craftsmen and women and artists who have been exhibiting their work at the centre have been given the option to collect their exhibits.

Princetown photographer Mike Kinsey, who exhibits his pictures from the centre, said: 'A great deal of hard work has gone into bringing the centre this far, and I can't imagine that it will not re-open as visitors return and footfall picks up.

'It's a great place to showcase what Dartmoor artists of all genres can produce, though the operating model may need some tweaking to make the most of what is a fantastic facility.'

Devon County Council invested half a million pounds in Duchy Square Centre, which opened nearly two years ago. Funding was also received from the Government Office South West, the Regional Development Agency and the Duchy of Cornwall.

A spokesman for Devon County Council said: 'Unfortunately the centre has closed temporarily due to a funding hitch.

'We are fully supportive of the Duchy Square Centre for Creativity and are working very closely with our partners involved to resolve any difficulties.'