WHISKY galore could soon be made just down the road from Dartmoor’s infamous prison. Parish councillors have voted 6-2 in favour of saying ‘cheers’ to the proposed distillery near the town’s Station Road car park.

Princetown Distillers now have to wait till March when Dartmoor planners are expected to give their verdict on the enterprise which could create between 20 to 150 jobs. They want to construct a distillery, visitor centre and small-scale spirit storage area on land west of the car park.

Some 85 tonnes of barley would be used each month with two or three 32-tonne trucks making deliveries each month. The two-storey building will even feature a tower.

One member of the public told the meeting: ‘It will bring economic benefit with jobs and tourism to help sustain the economy of the village.

‘The prevailing winds should clear away any chemical fumes. I own Duchy Guest House and the tourist trade will benefit my business. Unless we evolve, Princetown will die.’ Another supporter said: ‘We need an injection of something - and if this brings in jobs, I’m all for it.’

One resident, who had lived locally for more than 20 years, said: ‘The economics make sense. I’ve read all the documentation and think the valid objections are around the treatment of the heritage and also the aesthetics of the building, particularly the height of the tower.

‘But both of these can be agreed within the detailed design stage. There is nothing that I can see that can stop us from having a distillery.’

The resident added that for some commercial developments of such a size, financial contributions from the developer could be agreed which would benefit local organisations.

One objector complained: ‘It says there is going to be a restaurant on site. We already have eateries in the village. It will take trade away from elsewhere.

‘Surely it would be sensible to encourage people to visit Princetown and the distillery rather than just the distillery.’

Cllr Suzanne Davies said: ‘Looking at the material planning points, a large chunk of the land is outside the settlement boundary. Normally for major developments planning permission would not be given unless there is overriding public interest and I cannot see any overriding public interest in it.

‘I’m unhappy about the general scale of the development in the landscape, it doesn’t reinforce the distinctive patterns of developmental or cultural heritage.’

Cllr Gregg Manning said: ‘People have said it is self-contained, so visitors would drive in to visit the distillery and drive out again - but I disagree.

‘We’re not getting as many people in our cafés anymore — we need something to attract people back and that is down to us.’