COUNCILLORS and residents of Princetown have taken another step towards the regeneration of the village.

Representatives of Dartmoor Forest Parish Council (DFPC), who are eager to revive the once thriving village, recently attended a multi-agency meeting which was held to discuss Princetown’s economic future.

DFPC clerk, Nigel Tigwell and councillors David Worth and Wendy Stones, used the meeting – which was also attended by representatives from Devon County Council (DCC), Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), West Devon Borough Council (WDBC), DFPC members and the Duchy – to present a ten year plan which hopes to regenerate Princetown.

The plan, developed at a DFPC meeting, ranges from short term goals including re-opening of the Charity Shop to medium term goals that could see residential units built to meet local needs within the next five years.

Concern was raised by worried residents at a DFPC meeting earlier this year, after a spell of shop closures left more than half of the shops empty.

Lord’s Restaurant, Lord’s Gift Shop and Moor Beads all closed within a month, which pushed DFPC into taking an active role in regenerating the village.

The Charity Shop in Princetown was also forced to close recently when the owners of the building decided to reclaim use of the property to establish their own retail outlet, rather than renewing the lease for another two years.

Despite a desperate attempt to find an alternative building to relocate the shop, managers and volunteers have so far been unsuccessful in finding a suitable venue.

Nigel Tigwell, DFPC clerk said that the Charity Shop’s main income was from visitors and was integral to the community with 50% of profits supporting the Princetown Community Centre and the other 50% going to worthy local causes.

The shop also provided a welcome and effective avenue for elderly residents to remain active mentally, physically and socially.

The Duchy had proposed that the Charity Shop could rent a shop space from inside the Arts and Crafts Centre as it could have provided a permanent premises; but members of the Charity Shop committee said they wanted to reopen as soon as possible and would have preferred to have a short term lease in the old Moor Beads premises, rather than having to wait for a decision on the Arts and Crafts Centre.

A petition with 443 signatures calling for the Charity Shop to be relocated to the Lord‘s Restaurant site was presented to the Duchy.

However, Nigel Tigwell said: ‘The Charity Shop has had some bad news in the sense that the Duchy does not feel it will be able to offer a venue, because it is currently in discussions with a potential tenant for the Lord’s Restaurant and that tenant would want the whole building.’

Local councillors and residents were also concerned that the Arts and Crafts Centre, based in the centre of the village, would continue to sit empty.

Despite interest from different agencies, including Torbay Development Agency (TDA), the building which is held on a 20-year lease from the Duchy by DCC, currently remains unused.

However, members of the parish council heard at a recent meeting, that units could soon be let directly by DCC using its contracted property management arm, Norwich Property Services (NPS). However before NPS can formally market the centre to potential leaseholders, approval must be obtained from the Housing and Communities Agency.

As funding was received from the European Union (EU) arts grant to aid the original construction, DCC must also negotiate a variation of use to avoid being required to repay grant money.

Members of the parish council discussed the lack of allocated parking related to the property and its distance back from the line of other commercial premises and from pedestrian walkways – which could make it unattractive to incoming businesses.

Nigel Tigwell added: ‘DCC has advertised the Arts and Crafts Centre which will be re-named the Duchy Square.

‘It has potential tenants for three of the 19 units and is hoping to get all non-retail tenants so it doesn’t have to employ a building’s manager – this means that it is reluctant to rent a unit to the Charity Shop as they are a retail business.

‘The Charity Shop is still an important issue and has huge community support behind it. We have decided to write another letter to the Duchy with regards to the Charity Shop. We understand it is difficult for them but there really are huge social and economic benefits to having the shop and they should be balanced against the financial gain.

‘The small Moor Beads site is separate from the rest of the building so it could be allocated. The letter is yet to be sent but we hope it will make the Duchy reconsider. The intent is to maintain pressure on two main landlords that could help to resolve the Charity Shop issue.’

West Devon Borough Council Leader Philip Sanders said: ‘Everyone is keen to see the Charity Shop reopened but unfortunately the only site that the shop committee will accept is something on the main street and that is proving difficult at the moment.

‘It is really important that we have tenants in the Duchy Square and the Lord’s Restaurant.’

Also at the DFPC meeting, councillors discussed the unknown effect that the closure of HMP Prison Dartmoor could have on the local economy.

The lease held by the Ministry of Justice from the Duchy requires ten years notice for termination, which was given on December 24, 2013.

The prison has a blanket Grade 1 listing resulting in very expensive maintenance costs in comparison with a modern prison.

It was reported that efforts are being made to increase the granularity of the Grade 1 listing to reduce maintenance costs, however recent government announce-ments intimate the prison will close by 2023.

Mr Tigwell said now the parish as a whole had agreed to take the plan forward, it was a case of starting to look at grant applications.

Short term goals within the plan, for the next six to eight months, include: opening tourist orientated shops and attractions to keep coach trips and independent tourists visiting the village and to deliver local employment, opening of other commercial premises to utilise vacant premises and deliver local employment; agreement on residential development to meet local needs; agreement on the car parking needs for Princetown, including appropriate on-street parking restrictions; understand the future population and demographics of Princetown and the implications on infrastructure require-ments.

Medium term targets for completion within one to five years include: attracting new businesses and attractions to the village to boost local employment and entice more tourists, build residential units to meet local needs, deliver car parking solutions and to outline a plan for dealing with prison closure.

The only long term plan, for completion within five to ten years, as listed within the ten year plan is to produce a detailed plan for dealing with prison closure including: the future of the prison museum, commercial or residential use of redundant buildings outside the prison wall and the prison itself and how to maintain and enhance tourist interest for Dartmoor Prison.