THE "sad state" of High Wycombe’s town centre is the reason behind one of its oldest shops closing its doors.

Hull, Loosley & Pearce - which has operated in Wycombe since 1860 - will close once its remaining furniture and china stock has been sold.

David Huntley, whose father Peter ran the business before him, said he took the decision to shut down the shop after Wycombe District Council chiefs failed to reassure him about their plans for the future of Frogmoor.

He said: "It’s very sad, I still have regular customers who pop in and they are disappointed. We used to have a shop where the William Robert Loosley pub is now - we were one of the biggest shops in the town.

"I haven’t gone bust but I’ve simply had enough, I can’t see a future for a shop like this anymore. Wycombe is just a sad town now; it looks sad, it looks tired and there’s no buzz to it.

"I spoke to the planning officers at the council about six months ago to ask them what plans they had for Frogmoor - they don’t seem to have any.

"I remember when Frogmoor and the town centre were busy, there are areas of Wycombe that have just been left to die - I look out the window here now and I rarely see a soul."

The 64-year-old, who now plans to retire to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren, estimated his footfall had halved over the last couple of years following the opening of Eden.

Under the council’s Wycombe Masterplan, the Abbey Way flyover could be demolished to join the historic part of town with Eden to make it more pedestrian friendly - but Mr Huntley believes it is too little too late.

He said: "They needed to act years ago, it’s too late now as there’s nothing here apart from a bit of food and student accommodation.

"How knocking the flyover down will help Frogmoor, I have no idea. The whole area and the wider town needs rejuvenating."

WDC Leader Cllr Richard Scott said he was "saddened" to hear of the planned closure of Hull, Loosley & Pearce and added the Masterplan would offer "better connections" between Eden and the old town centre.

On Frogmoor, Cllr Scott said: "We are looking at how we can make best use of developer contributions from Section 106 funding to make improvements to this important area.

"We are working closely with Buckinghamshire County Council and our Cabinet will decide on the allocation of funds in March next year."