AT THE HEART of the regeneration plans for High Wycombe is a spacious new shopping centre that will bring prestigious brands to the district for the first time, as well as offering increased floor space for existing retailers.

Apart from improved retailing, the centre will offer a selection of cafes and familyfriendly restaurants, as well as airy civic spaces for shoppers to relax and enjoy the exciting new atmosphere.

An 18lane ten bin bowling alley and 12-screen cinema will offer new leisure facilities in the centre and add to the district's nightlife.

Getting into town will be made easier with the launch of a Park & Ride service from Cressex.

The existing bus depot will be moved, with a state-of-the-art passenger terminal in the heart of the town and a new maintenance depot located at Cressex.

The railway station will be redeveloped by Chiltern Railways to offer a better station environment, more car parking and a convenience shopping facility opposite.

Car parking generally is set to increase in town as a result of the development and initiatives from private sector companies.

Among these, Tesco propose to refurbish their existing premises, and Sainsburys have plans for a large new store.

In the longer term, Tesco have plans to take over the site of the Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, which in turn would consolidate its campus on a site off Hughenden Avenue.

The fire station will also be relocated in these plans.

New strategic plans within the Fire Service mean that the single town centre location will be replaced by two response units to the west and east, allowing for quicker response times so save lives and protect property.

The sports centre will be relocated from its current site to Cressex in a new purposebuilt complex boasting a 50m pool and modern facilities for athletes and families throughout the district. It is proposed that the running track will be relocated to a site near Hazlemere.

The land vacated by the sports centre will then become available for mixed housing and commercial development. This, together with improvement to roads at the M40 Handy Cross junction, will create a transformed "gateway" to High Wycombe from the M40.

Other private sector initiatives will combine with these plans to make this the most far-reaching, and single biggest investment period in the history of the district.

Shop owners on the Desborough Road are all excited about the project and are looking forward to a prosperous future.

Russell Lacey, managing director of Desborough Pets says: "The investment in the Desborough Road is starting to bear fruit. The retail investment is going to be phenomenal and can only mean good things for the independent shops along the Desborough Road."

Martin O'Reilly is the manager of Cartridge City and has been a Wycombe resident his whole life. He says: "I think it is a brilliant plan. As a resident of Wycombe I only think it can improve the area.

"It is enlarging the town centre and the closer we become to it the more buisness we will get."

Andrew Weiss, managing director of Isaac Lord says: "It is going to be fantastic. We are looking forward to it and we are already gearing up our longterm product range for the development."

Alan Hogson, owner of Childs Toys, is also looking forward to the improvements. He says: "Anything that draws trade towards Desborough Road is a good thing. Hopefully it can only improve Childs Toys and the local area."

The development will offer residents, workers, businesses, and visitors an exciting and dynamic future.

Visit www.mywycombe.com for all the latest developments