Many High Wycombe residents have reacted to the news that one of the Tesco stores in the town will close for roughly one year.

The branch next to the Eden Centre will shut its doors this October and will not reopen until the autumn of 2025.

The reason for the 12-month shutdown is so that the county’s archives can transported from Aylesbury to High Wycombe.

The archives are currently stored at Buckinghamshire Council’s Walton Street offices in South Bucks town, but the rooms housing the documents and artefacts – some of which are 800 years old – have reached capacity.

The move is to allow the upper floors of the Tesco building to be repurposed into council offices and as the new home of the county archives.

This means the supermarket will be transformed into a one-storey shop, from a two-story shop.

The news has not gone down well with those in High Wycombe, with many accusing Buckinghamshire Council in ‘wasting taxpayers money’.

Taking to Facebook, Darren Hayday said: “This is mind-blowing waste of taxpayers money.

“Buckinghamshire Council are taking funds which are supposed to be to improve Wycombe Town Centre, and using the £11million for the benefit of Bucks Council and Tesco.”

Jenny Corton said: “Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire and the archives should all be kept here.

“We have lots of unused council buildings gathering dust, so it makes no sense whatsoever to squander High Wycombe's allocated improvement funds to transfer the archives over there.”

David Alan Taylor added: “This makes no sense.

“There is surely council-owned property with ample space from the merger of the previous councils that formed Bucks Council?”

Margaret Austin added: “I was born here and I have seen how this town has gone downhill.

“It was a lovely town years ago with a lot of nice shops, I don't think we will ever see that again.

“It's so sad.”

Despite the backlash, John Chilver, the council’s cabinet member for accessible housing and resources, believes the news is ‘fantastic’ for the High Wycombe residents.

He 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.”