The sale of the former council offices in Queen Victoria Road was completed this spring, with Chandler Garvey and JLL acting on behalf of Buckinghamshire Council, writes Michael Garvey.
The future of the site had been the subject of considerable local interest, particularly among stakeholder groups in High Wycombe who were keen to see the building continue to serve a community-based purpose. Those concerns were entirely understandable given the site’s prominence, accessibility and historic role within the town centre.
There is therefore real satisfaction among all those associated with the project that the site has been acquired by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. The Trust’s proposals will see the former council offices play an important part in the wider restructuring of healthcare provision in High Wycombe and across the region.
The building is expected to be redeveloped for non-acute patient care functions, complementing the Trust’s wider strategy for delivering accessible healthcare services across a number of town centre locations. High Wycombe residents will no doubt watch with interest as the detailed proposals develop over the coming months.
From a town centre perspective, this is a very positive outcome. It retains significant employment within High Wycombe, supports the continued evolution of the town centre, and places accessible healthcare provision at the heart of the community. It also ensures that a strategically important public sector asset is brought back into productive use in a way that aligns with wider public benefit.
All in all, this represents an excellent result for Buckinghamshire Council, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, the town centre and the wider community. It is a strong vote of confidence in High Wycombe and very welcome positive news for the town.
At the time of writing, there are ongoing conversations about retaining occasional civic use of the iconic balcony and flagpole at the front of the building, which would please many local people.
