Prince William launches £250,000 fund to regenerate Dartmoor prison village
William is set to visit Princetown on Tuesday to unveil The Princetown Community Fund, which will generate at least £250,000 to support local projects
The Prince of Wales will launch a new regeneration fund to support the isolated rural community near Dartmoor prison next week.
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William is set to visit Princetown on Tuesday to unveil The Princetown Community Fund, which will generate at least £250,000 to support locally led social, economic and environmental projects in the moorland village.
He is no longer a beneficiary of the controversial £1.5 million annual rent which is generated by the abandoned prison, following a change which was announced earlier this year.
The prince requested that the sum be removed from the multimillion-pound salary he receives as heir to the throne from the Duchy of Cornwall from 2026-27 onwards.
The money will be spent on regenerating the local community instead.
It was revealed that the Duchy signed a £37 million deal in 2022, before Charles became King and William the Prince of Wales, to lease Dartmoor Prison to the Ministry of Justice, a 2024 Dispatches and Sunday Times investigation uncovered.
The deal would pay £1.5 million a year over 25 years, and a deal with the Ministry of Defence would allow the armed forces to train on Dartmoor land.
However, the category C prison in Devon has remained empty since July 2024 after high levels of a toxic gas were recorded in prisoners’ accommodation.
The substance is known as radon and occurs naturally in soil and rocks, but can cause lung cancer.
The new fund will be delivered by Devon Communities Together and grants ranging from £500 to £40,000 will be available, alongside support for organisations applying for funding.
It forms part of the Prince’s plan for the Duchy to deploy more than £500 million over the next decade to invest in local communities, homes, local economies, renewable energy, farming resilience and environmental recovery.
The official engagement falls on the Duke of Sussex’s 42nd birthday, but William, who is estranged from his brother, has yet to publicly react to Harry’s return to the UK.
William will visit Gather & Moor, a new community and cultural hub in the heart of Princetown developed by the Duchy of Cornwall, and meet representatives from heritage business Princetown Press.
He will also meet local residents who have been helping to develop a shared vision for the Devon village, and visit its youth club, which received Duchy funding to improve its facilities.
The Princetown fund will build on work by the Princetown Place Strategy and the Encounters Shop initiative.