Denbury shop plans receive parish council backing

PLANS to bring a village shop back to Denbury have been given a major boost as the parish council throws its weight behind the project.

Denbury & Torbryan Parish Council has backed proposals for a new community shop in Denbury, saying the scheme would ‘bring many benefits to the community and the wellbeing of the village’.

The proposed shop would be created within the village hall, helping to provide residents with access to everyday essentials while also generating an income stream for the hall.

Denbury has been without a village shop since the previous premises in North Street closed in 2016.

Now, a nine-strong committee is working to bring one back, with almost £20,000 already raised through shares and donations and a further £20,000 secured through a grant from Teignbridge District Council.

The overall fundraising target is around £80,000, with the committee continuing to investigate other sources of funding, including a possible National Lottery grant.

Committee chairman Luke Booth said the need for a local shop had become particularly clear during recent roadworks, which have made journeys into town more difficult for residents.

‘To go and do a top-up shop, you’re looking at like an hour every day’, he said.

The idea for the project came from local residents who wanted to see whether a shop could once again become viable in the village.

A steering group was formed, a business plan drawn up and advice sought from the Plunkett Foundation, which specialises in supporting community-owned businesses.

The proposed shop will operate as a Community Benefit Society, meaning local people can buy shares in the venture but any profits will be used for the benefit of the community rather than distributed to individual shareholders.

Mr Booth said money generated by the shop could be reinvested in the business or used to support other village facilities.

‘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 committee’s vision goes beyond simply providing somewhere for residents to buy milk, bread and other essentials.

Plans could eventually include a coffee machine, hot food and outdoor seating, with the wider aim of creating a place where people can meet and spend time.

The scheme could also help secure the future of the village hall.

The proposal would make use of an area of the hall which is no longer required, creating space for the shop while providing the building with an additional source of income.

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

With the parish council now backing the proposals, the committee is appealing for further support as it seeks to close the funding gap and turn the plans into reality.

For those interested in supporting the community shop become a reality, 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.

To view the proposal in full, and to comment on the application, visit Teignbridge Council’s planning portal and enter ‘26/01434/FUL’ into the search-box.

The council are expected to decide on the application by November 9.