A former mayor says sit-down restaurants are disappearing from High Wycombe because of ‘low footfall and spending’– as preparations get underway for a fifth local McDonald’s branch.

Trevor Snaith is one of the leading figures in a campaign to create a High Wycombe town council – a plan that was shot down by Buckinghamshire Council earlier this month.

But, having served as mayor from 2013 to 2014, the 69-year-old also has an informed perspective on the area’s evolution over the last decade or so, and he’s not overly optimistic about what he’s seen.

Trevor, who is also chairperson of the Wycombe Food Hub, said the arrival of the town’s fifth McDonald’s outlet – replacing Pizza Hut near Wycombe Retail Park – reflects a trend of “low footfall and spending” that has caused a “proliferation” of fast-food takeaways and a fall in the number of sit-down restaurants available to locals.

The now-defunct Pizza Hut restaurant on Ryemead Way (Image: Google)

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He added: “It’s all just more of the same. The retail park is a perfect place for restaurants and Pizza Hut was a great destination spot for families to go out and eat – there are already so many chicken and pizza takeaways in Wycombe.

“Without even getting into the health issues, it’s a shame we’re losing these places where people can meet to sit and have dinner. Compared to Marlow and Beaconsfield, the profile of the town is just different. It doesn’t feel like money’s being spent on the right things.”

Locals have also raised concerns over the chain’s impact on the health of Wycombe’s population – with Mark Bowring criticising a government proposal to crack down on smoking outside pubs while ignoring “one of the biggest pressures on the NHS – obesity”.

An existing McDonald's restaurant on Crest Road, High Wycombe (Image: Google)

Reacting to news of the fifth McDonald’s opening in the town on social media, Lisa Nichol said she wished there were “more healthy takeaway options” in the town.

While others suggested that the brand’s multiplication in Wycombe was being overblown – with five spots “an even spread” for the town’s 133,000-odd population.

Wycombe’s five Maccies has nothing on some cities around the country – with Birmingham and Glasgow racking up an impressive 42 branches between them – though the crown is sure to be contested soon, with the burger chain announcing plans last month to open a further 200 restaurants in the UK and Ireland by 2028 as part of a £1 billion expansion.

The move will reportedly involve a shift to High Street units, which real estate expert Jonathan DeMello told the BBC was likely due to sit-down restaurants in town and city centres going bust during the COVID-19 pandemic, opening up a gap in the market.

Local franchise owner Alan Butchers said last month that the new McDonald’s branch in Wycombe would bring “significant local investment” to the area, creating 60 full and part-time jobs and organising “daily litter picks and fundraising for Ronald McDonald House Charities”.

The new restaurant will open on Ryemead Way in early 2025.