PLANS to bring a village shop back to Denbury have taken a major step forward after Teignbridge District Council granted planning permission for the project.

The proposed community shop will be created within Denbury Village Hall, providing residents with access to everyday essentials while generating much-needed income for the building.

The village has been without a shop since its previous premises in North Street closed in 2016.

Now, a nine-strong committee is working to restore the service, with planning approval marking a significant milestone in its efforts.

In granting permission, the council said the proposal would make effective use of an existing building through refurbishment and modernisation, avoiding the need for new development.

It added that a shop would improve local access to day-to-day services and reduce the need for some residents to travel to larger settlements.

The council concluded that the scheme would make ‘a modest positive contribution towards sustainable development and the resilience of the local community’.

Denbury and Torbryan Parish Council has also backed the project, saying it would ‘bring many benefits to the community and the wellbeing of the village’.

However, the committee still needs to raise further funds before work can get under way.

Almost £35,000 has already been raised through shares and donations, alongside a further £20,000 secured through a grant from Teignbridge District Council.

The overall fundraising target is around £80,000, with the group exploring additional funding opportunities, including a possible National Lottery grant.

Luke Booth, chairman of the committee behind the shop, said the project was being established as a Community Benefit Society, allowing local people to buy shares, while ensuring the venture benefits the wider community.

Any profits would be reinvested locally rather than distributed to individual shareholders.

Plans to convert part of Denbury Village Hall into a community shop. From left: committee members Louise Beams, Karen Tennant, Karen Muchmore, Paul Austin and Luke Booth
Plans to convert part of Denbury Village Hall into a community shop. From left: committee members Louise Beams, Karen Tennant, Karen Muchmore, Paul Austin and Luke Booth (StevePope/IliffeMedia)

‘Whether that’s updating the shop with some more stuff or whether that’s putting some money into the village hall, the idea is any profits that come out of it, we want to push it back into the community’, he said.

The ambitions extend beyond stocking everyday essentials.

The committee hopes to introduce a coffee machine and hot food, while the refurbished hall could provide space for events and activities.

Mr Booth said the longer-term aim was to ‘gently form it into a hub’ for the village.

The scheme would also make use of an area of the hall that is no longer needed for its existing purpose, creating space for the shop while providing a new income stream for the building, which the committee says needs investment.

‘We can create a shop, which will actually give the village hall revenue, while also supporting the village shop,’ Mr Booth said.

For those interested in supporting the shop, visit denburyshop.co.uk, where you can find more information about how to invest in the project.

Alternatively, visit the GoFundMe website and enter ‘Help Create A Community Shop For Denbury’ into the search-box.