A delegation of worried villagers will be speaking at a critical meeting next Friday (January 10) which is expected to confirm the closure of the Princetown Visitor Centre.

Councillors, residents and businesses plan to make an impassioned plea to Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) at its Parke HQ in a last-ditch attempt to save the centre and avoid Princetown becoming a ‘ghost village’. Protestors say the centre is essential to Princetown’s economic and cultural future.

DPNA says it cannot afford to maintain the visitor centre after its lease from the Duchy expires in March because of an ongoing shortfall in funding. The public meeting, which can be listened to online at this link will be told the closure could be be either this March, next October or March 2026.

One potential lifeline, says the DNPA, is a partnership to ‘develop an income to sustain a smaller ground-floor visitor offer’. But this option is commercially sensitive with no further details available at this time. Alternative visitor centre sites in Princetown will not be affordable in the near future.

The DNPA says it will work with West Devon Borough Council on a longer-term community economic plan to mitigate the effects of the centre closure.

One of the speakers at Friday’s meeting will be Dartmoor Forest Parish Council (DFPC) which is sending a member to speak on behalf of residents.

A statement from Dartmoor Forest Parish Council (DFPC) said: “Businesses and residents have approached DFPC councillors to express their extreme dismay and disappointment that DNPA should be even considering this as an option. Feelings run very strongly against such action.

“The council would like to put on record its deep concern, huge disappointment and horror that DNPA is considering closing this visitor centre. This historic building lies at the heart of the Princetown community.”

The parish council said the DNPA’s plan was contrary to its legal obligations under the Environment Act 1995 to foster the economic and social wellbeing of the local communities within the national park and to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the national park by the public.

The council also said the centre was a link to the area’s cultural and historical heritage with its literary connections to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and links to Dartmoor Prison. It also inspired thousands of children to take an interest in the natural world.

Princetown has several community groups: the LOVE project, Princetown Churchyard Maintenance Group, Tidy Princetown, and The Plot community garden all supported by the parish council. The council has been working hard for years to improve the appearance and welcoming feel of the village. It says that if closed, the centre would become a disused eyesore.

The council said “it would be a travesty to lose this attraction” and the loss of the annual 50,000-plus visitors would cause a ‘catastrophic economic downturn.

The council says the village has not been afforded sufficient time to respond and defend the centre. It appreciates the DNPA’s financial position, it “strongly urges” the authority to reconsider, engage with the community and agree an alternative long-term solution.