BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Council has pledged to spend up to £15 million improving our town centres, including High Wycombe - but has remained tight-lipped about whether reopening the River Wye will form part of their plans.

The Bucks Free Press, joined by town organisations like the High Wycombe Society, is urging the council to look at bringing our precious River Wye back to the surface through the town centre in a bid to encourage shoppers back to the High Street and support local businesses after a particularly difficult year for all because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Weeks after our campaign launched, we asked the council for an update on the situation.

A detailed report on reopening the River Wye, produced by former councillor Hugh McCarthy and a team of experts, found that it was technically feasible to do.

But the former Wycombe District Council shelved the plans because of concerns over how much it might cost.

With news that cash from the government has been earmarked for improving High Wycombe’s High Street, we wanted to know whether this money could be used towards the ambitious river project.

A spokesman for the council told the Bucks Free Press: “We’re currently looking at ways to improve our town centres including High Wycombe.

“We know that because of Covid our town centres are going to look and feel quite different in years to come.

“There will be changes in the way people work, where they work and, with climate change in mind, how people get around.

“So we need to take a fresh look at the ‘big picture’ vision and ambitions for our towns in the medium to long term.

“Redeveloping town centres is a bit like piecing together a jigsaw - putting the right pieces in place in the right order at the right time to build an overall picture.

“Already we have secured £11.7 million from the government for short term strategic improvements to the High Street and we have pledged to top this up to a total of £15 million.

“Looking to the medium and longer term we need to understand the impacts on traffic movements in and around the town and ensure that the end result really deliver significant economic benefits against the cost and other impacts of reopening the river.

“This will involve business case development and robust costings so that we are ready to make a pitch for future Government funds.”

n Would you like to see the river reopened? Send us a letter showing your support - email stephanie.wareham@newsquest.co.uk and we will publish them to get the message across to the council.