The Council has been working with management of the Tesco supermarket, located in the Eden Centre, to agree plans for the store to transform its existing retail space.

The Council, as freeholder of the building, has agreed a renegotiated lease with Tesco, which will see Tesco downsizing into the ground floor of the building.

As part of the process Tesco will carry out a full refit of the ground floor store, reorientating it towards a new glazed frontage to Denmark Street. Tesco have agreed a temporary relocation, creating an Express store within the Eden Centre while the improvement works to the existing store are carried out.

The upper floors in the building will be repurposed as a new site for the Buckinghamshire Archives which hold a variety of unique and significant records, historic maps and photographs spanning 800 years of Buckinghamshire history. Documents cover all aspects of life in the county, from the people who lived here to the towns and villages. The oldest document in the collection dates from 1155.

With Buckinghamshire being the home of the Paralympics, an extensive range of materials relating to the Paralympics are held within the collection. This includes records for Sir Ludwig Guttmann and the very first games which took place at Stoke Mandeville. Documents on subsequent games, and records for WheelPower, World Abilitysports and Paralympics GB also form part of the collection. Items include everything from photographs and minutes to brochures and games results.

The archives will be relocated from their current home in Walton Street in Aylesbury, which is no longer able to suitably house them. The relocation will provide much improved facilities as well as greater public access and increased areas for exhibitions and displays. A new entrance on Denmark Street will be formed, opposite Wycombe Library.

The remainder of the first floor will be transformed into office space, with new windows being created on the Denmark Street elevation, improving its appearance.

John Chilver, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources said: “This is fantastic news for High Wycombe residents. Not only do they retain a much-used supermarket, they will also benefit from the relocation of an important cultural and historical treasure trove, right on their doorstep in the form of the Buckinghamshire Archives.

“We know how important this supermarket is to residents and helping to ensure its retained presence in the heart of the town centre provides a clear indication of our commitment to supporting positive change within the town.”

The upgraded building will provide a better visual aspect and the new uses will encourage greater footfall, bringing positive outcomes for other businesses in the immediate area, as well as offering shoppers an overall improved experience.

Cllr Chilver added: “The relocation of the Buckinghamshire Archives to High Wycombe is a wonderful new asset for the area. The purpose-built new facility will be housed in the heart of the town centre making it accessible for everyone and surrounding businesses can only benefit with the increased footfall this will bring.

“Improving our cultural offer to all residents in the county is a key element of our Cultural Strategy and the relocation of Buckinghamshire Archives fits into this by providing greater and easier access to this rich, fascinating and diverse collection of historic documents relating to Buckinghamshire.”

The development plans tie into priorities set out in Buckinghamshire Council’s Corporate Plan to increase prosperity within communities and to support town centres and high streets to thrive.

Paul McNulty, Tesco Store Director, said: “We’re working closely with Buckinghamshire Council to support the reconfiguration of the building our High Wycombe superstore sits in and we will be temporarily closing our superstore from October 2024 to autumn 2025. In order to keep serving our customers we are opening a temporary Express store in the Eden Centre for the duration of the closure and we would like to thank our customers for their understanding and support during this time. Our superstore will reopen in autumn 2025 with a refreshed look and feel which we’re excited to share with customers.”

Andrew Norton, Centre Director at Eden Shopping Centre, said: “We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Tesco and to support them during this exciting transformation. This temporary Tesco Express within Eden Shopping Centre will ensure our visitors can continue to enjoy convenient access to essential shopping, right in the heart of High Wycombe. We’re looking forward to the completion of the new store, which will bring an even better shopping experience and further contribute to the vibrancy of our town centre.”