Dartmoor Visitor Centre to close

One of Dartmoor National Park’s three visitor centres will close today (Friday, October 31) after more than 30 years due to a funding crisis.
The centre at Princetown, which is located in the former Duchy Hotel, has served as an information and exhibition space since 1993.
Dartmoor National Park Authority decided earlier this year to close the attraction at the end of October unless a viable business plan came forward from the community.
The authority said it had experienced a decline in core grant funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs over the last 15 years but stumped up £50,000 from its reserves to keep the visitor centre open for the 2025 summer season after locals expressed its importance to the village.
“On average across England’s 10 National Parks, the value of the core grants have fallen by 15 per cent between 2010 and 2025”, said DNPA. “Factoring in inflation, it equates to a 40 per cent reduction in real terms across England’s national parks. Changes to employer National Insurance contributions have also had an impact. “
Chief executive of DNPA Kevin Bishop said: “This is a sad day. Over the years, we’ve worked hard to explore a wide range of options aimed at securing the future of the visitor centre or providing a new use of the building that would support the local economy. Despite our best efforts, the scale of the funding challenges we face left us with no alternative. 
“We’d like to thank our hard-working centre staff over the years for the warm welcome they’ve given to people who visit Princetown as part of their Dartmoor experience.”
He added that DNPA was aiming to make Princetown one of three ‘hubs’ where people could connect with the qualities that make the national park such a special place through its Dartmoor’s Dynamic Landscape, a National Lottery Heritage Fund programme.
The visitor’s centre was leased by the authority for £100 a year but it was responsible  for repairs, maintenance and insurance. 
A one-off grant of £440,000 from the government two years ago allowed the facility to stay open after the closure was first raised in 2022.
At a Dartmoor National Park Authority meeting earlier this year local guest house owner Caroline Wain said this was the largest of the three visitor centres on Dartmoor and closing the flagship venue would be  “a negative message to visitors”.
“The loss of this community and business space would further isolate Princetown creating a sense of decline,” she said.
She said the community was already suffering from the uncertainty over the future of Dartmoor Prison and its museum.
DNPA will continue to operate visitor centres at Haytor and Postbridge.