Chilterns Shopping Centre cafe owner speaks up about Frogmoor issues

The owner of Air Raid Shelter Café Chris Miller has had enough of the anti-social behaviour on Frogmoor in High Wycombe and lack of action from the council.

His café is tucked away in the half empty Chilterns Shopping Centre next to Frogmoor.

A developer is planning to turn the Chilterns Shopping Centre into new flats and shops, but no planning application has been submitted yet.

He said: “Our café is well liked, people travel from quite far to get here, and they say having to cross Frogmoor is not very pleasant.

Frogmoor in High Wycombe (Image: Google Street View)

Despite the café’s popularity, being in the Chiltern Shopping Centre was “a struggle for us, there’s no footfall here.”

Chris said: “It’s tough for us in the Chiltern Centre, but with the current economic situation I’m scared to move. 

“The street drinkers won’t be moved on, because they don’t want them in the town centre and Eden Shopping Centre, and people are quite happy to have them drinking on Frogmoor.

There were “so many problems” with Frogmoor, including pigeon droppings and pigeon feeding, delivery mopeds flocking there for the takeaways and the wooden benches, most of which have been removed, Chris said.

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“I wish they removed all those benches. That would be a start.

"But the powers that be, it suits them the drinkers are on Fromoor and not in Eden, I really believe that’s the case. Because they could all be given fines for public drinking but they aren’t.

“I’d like to see Frogmoor pedestrianised. But I don’t see the will because the development. But we are years from the development! My lease doesn’t run out until July 2024."

The Chilterns Shopping Centre is earmarked for major development (Image: Newsquest)

He said the focus was on the Eden Shopping Centre and there was “no will to try to make it a pleasant place because it’s going to be knocked down anyways.”

“But with this new development, I don’t think how that’s going to solve the issue,” he added.

Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for communities Arif Hussain said the council was “working with the remaining businesses in the Chiltern Shopping Centre, exploring relocation and alternative sites that would suit their needs.”

He continued: “Additionally, our Community Safety team has been working together with the Thames Valley Police to try and address the problem of street drinking in the area.

“Working with the Rough Sleeping Initiative and One Recovery Bucks, we have been able to support the local street drinkers who are in need of help and who meet the criteria.

“Looking forward, we are keen to upgrade the public spaces in Frogmoor and are expecting a planning application detailing some new designs, later in the year.

“Any future developments in this area will be designed to deter any antisocial behaviour.

“We have already moved the public seating areas purchased by HWBIDCo to the Eden Shopping Centre and Buckinghamshire New University. Although this was a hard decision, it was the right one, considering they sadly became a draw for antisocial behaviour.”