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Calls to rethink Dartmoor visitor centre closure

BBC A man stands outside a building with pillars in the background. There is snow on the ground and he is wearing a black waterproof coat. BBC
Trader Ian Cobham is hopeful DNPA will find a way to keep a presence in Princetown

Traders and residents are calling on Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) to think again over plans to close its Princetown visitor centre.

The pleas come ahead of a meeting later to decide the centre's future after DNPA announced it would close in March due to funding challenges, subject to consultation.

Ian Cobham, of Dartmoor Brewery, said he feared the economic impact of the closure: "If you say 'no one is welcome' then no one will come."

DNPA said it had seen a 40% decline in funding since 2011 but it had a "clear and collective commitment to Dartmoor".

The exterior of a victorian style building, with stone columns along the front and large doors which are painted green. A sign above the entrance reads National Park Visitor Centre.
Dartmoor National Park Authority said proposals to close the visitor centre, based in the Duchy Hotel, Princetown, were first considered in 2022
A woman stands outside a Victorian style building. There are columns and green doors in the background. You can see part of a sign that reads visitor centre. She is wearing a maroon coloured winter coat.
Caroline Wain, who runs Duchy House guesthouse, is urging DNPA to "explore viable alternatives to closure"

Guesthouse owner Caroline Wain said she wanted DNPA to "explore viable alternatives" to closure of the centre in the former Duchy Hotel.

"They're going to close the biggest visitor centre on the moor," she said. "The message that sends out, is that access to Dartmoor isn't a priority."

Tom Usher, CEO of the Dartmoor Preservation Association which advocates for public access on the moor, said the group was worried about the impact on Princetown.

He said the centre was a "hugely important resource, not just for visitors but for the national park itself".

Mr Usher said the centre not only explained what Dartmoor National Park is, but why it was important and helped facilitate access to the moor.

A man in a winter coat stands outside a white visitor centre building. There are columns either side of the entrance and there is snow on the ground.
Tom Usher, CEO of the Dartmoor Preservation Society, said the visitor centre was a "hugely important resource"

DNPA leases the visitor centre building from the Duchy of Cornwall for an annual rent of £100 per annum. The lease is "full repairing", which means the authority has been responsible for all management, maintenance and insurance costs.

In November DNPA said members had agreed not to renew the authority's lease for the Duchy Hotel.

It said proposals to close the visitor centre at Princetown had been considered in 2022, but a one-off grant of £440,000 from the government in March 2023 allowed the centre to stay open until March 2025.

A spokesperson for DNPA said: "The scale of the financial challenges for England's national parks, as well as the wider public sector, is well documented though it doesn't make these decisions any the less painful or difficult.

"We continue to review service delivery; what we do, what we don't, what can be done differently and what can be changed."

A man stands in a snow covered landscape. There is moorland in the background. He is wearing a hat and winter coat.
"The work of national parks has never been more important," said Richard Drysdale, director of conservation and communities at DNPA

Richard Drysdale, director of conservation and communities at DNPA said it was essential the authority was "supported with the right funds".

"From tree planting, to peatland restoration and natural flood management, the work that goes on here is tackling the twin crises of climate and biodiversity," he said.

The planned closure of the visitor centre in March 2025 comes at a time when there are questions over the future of Dartmoor Prison, which is temporarily closed after high levels of radon were detected.

Trader Ian Cobham is hopeful DNPA will find a way to maintain a presence in the village.

"We need Princetown to continue, with or without the prison," he said. "If the national park isn't bothered, why should anyone else be?"

'Close relationship'

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said it would continue its dialogue with the DNPA as the future management of the building was explored.

"The Dartmoor National Park Authority has leased the building since 1991 at a fixed annual rent of £100 (net) and we enjoy a close working relationship," they said.

"We are very mindful of the authority's importance within Princetown and the role that this key building provides to the local community."

A Defra spokesperson said national parks and green spaces were a source of great national pride.

"That's why this government is investing £400m to protect and restore nature, including in our national parks," they said.

"However, we will go further and give people better access to nature by creating new national river walks and three new national forests for families to enjoy."

A final decision on the future of the centre is expected at a meeting later.

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