The Exbourne Shop Project

How the project began ….

Above: Jan and Rachel discussing the merits of washing up with Ecover washing-up liquid and …Westlake apple juice!

In December 2001 the village shop and post office in the parish of Exbourne with Jacobstowe in rural West Devon closed and was sold as a private dwelling. This meant that villagers would have to make a journey of at least 5 miles each way to reach the nearest town for shops and services.

Early in 2002 following a public meeting to discuss the closure of the community's only store and post office, the Exbourne Community Initiative Committee was formed. The original mandate of the organisation was to try and re-establish a shop - a community-run shop - possibly with additional facilities alongside it. The great importance of such activities in safeguarding the quality of village life was keenly recognised and the initiative was supported by the vast majority of local residents.

The Association quickly established a temporary shop, cafe and post office in Exbourne's village hall, opening 2 mornings a week and run (with the exception of the Post Office section) by volunteers. This facility has now been running for 4 years and has proved to be an extremely successful social enterprise.

and where it's at now ….

For practical reasons the shop has now outgrown its current location in the hall. The setting up and dismantling of temporary displays for the shop and cafe requires many hours of volunteer time and storage of goods is another problem.

The association constituted itselves as an Industrial & Provident Society (IPS) on September 11th 2003 and has been working towards a major project milestone - the establishment of a purpose-built facility in the centre of Exbourne village.

An unusual feature of this project is the proposed underground setting which has captured both local and national attention.

In April 2006, West Devon Borough Council granted full planning permission for the building and so the project is now set to enter a very exciting phase.

Update December 2008: Latest Businesss Plan here

Exbourne Underground Shop

Designer: Steve Blakeman BA Hons Arch MCIAT
Rose Cottages, North Rd, Exbourne, Okehampton
Tel: 01837 851612