Wycombe's going back on the map

9:14am Thursday 5th July 2007

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NO, this isn't a picture of me at a fancy dress party. And nor have I given up my day job and gone respectable by joining the building trade.

Instead, I was photographed on Tuesday during an eye-popping tour of the construction site that will soon be the new Eden shopping and leisure complex in High Wycombe.

It's fair to say my colleagues and I were gobsmacked at the progress made so far on the multi-million pound project - due to open next March.

Sure we walked through a fair few wet patches and we had to use our imagination in a number of empty spaces, but the centre is really coming together.

I've reported and commented on this scheme for years now. But for the first time, I was able to really get a feel of its massive scope and potential.

I don't intend to be a propaganda vehicle for the developer, Multiplex, and we will aim to bring you honest and balanced reports and appraisals of Eden's progress.

However, from what we saw on Tuesday, I do believe High Wycombe is now on the verge of something massive. Eden covers 12 acres in the town centre and will include: l a flagship new department store, House of Fraser l a massive new Marks & Spencer l a brand new library l a 12-screen cinema l an 18-lane bowling alley l lots of restaurants l a hugely-impressive range of shops Some of these stores will have relocated from other parts of the town but will be much bigger than before.

Meanwhile, there will be several hundred new jobs up for grabs.

We were led around the site by Multiplex, who insisted for safety's sake that we wore all the gear including boots, yellow vests and hats.

I felt quite the part as I strode around looking like Slob the Builder. The only thing that disappointed me was that I couldn't work out how to wolf whistle whenever a young female walked by.

I have been to other building sites in my time, but none quite as impressive as Eden. The sheer enormity of the empty cinemas and the shell of the bowling alley filled us with awe.

I don't apologise for gushing because High Wycombe has needed this kind of boost for decades now.

Cynics will fear it will be a case of displacement, with Eden thriving at the expense of other parts of the town which will fade away and die.

There is actually no reason for that to happen because a successful Eden will bring customers flocking back to Wycombe.

Hands up how many of you don't bother shopping here at weekends, but go to Watford or Reading instead.

Yes, there are tons of you out there. But once you all come back, there will be a need for more than just the Eden centre.

Sainsbury's has already recognised this and is pressing ahead with its new store fronting the Oxford Road, directly opposite Eden.

If this is all successful, High Wycombe will become one of the top 50 shopping towns in the country. Not only that, but we'll have something more to boast about than memories of once being the furniture capital of Europe.

I've written about High Wycombe town centre regeneration for so long that I lost faith it would ever happen.

On Tuesday, I saw it is happening, and I'm genuinely excited. And so should you be if you live anywhere near the town.

Pencil next March in your diary now. It's the date when High Wycombe puts itself back on the map of England.

See Friday's Bucks Free Press for report of the tour and updated pictures of the construction inside Eden