THE CONSTRUCTION cost of a major fast-food restaurant and bargain supermarket is expected to be in the region of £4.4 million – and the likelihood of it happening may have increased after the formation of a new council body.
The approved budget for an Aldi supermarket and McDonald’s drive thru at Cressex Island in High Wycombe has been published by Buckinghamshire Council – and the new unitary authority has just approved a special committee to oversee such projects.
Councillors gave a green light to the creation of a new High Wycombe Regeneration Board during a Cabinet meeting, on Tuesday, November 10.
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The Board has a series of high-value projects under its remit, known as the Regeneration Strategy.
The strategy sets out a string of “big moves” designed to ‘double the economic output’ of High Wycombe by 2050. It has similar designs for Marlow and Princes Risborough.
It should be noted however the continuation and speed of such projects is at the mercy of the pandemic’s impact on the economy.
The new Aldi supermarket – the third in the town – and McDonald’s drive thru are both said to be in the “developed design” phase, which refers to the “detailed design, planning application and costings stage” – and each has a project close date of February 2021.
Previous reports by this newspaper cite more than 100 jobs being created as a result of their construction.
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As part of its strategy, and linked to the new shop and restaurant, the Regeneration Board also mentions new signals on Crest Road valued at more than £1.2 million.
These plans are said to be in the “technical design” phase, which refers to the “pre-construction technical, specification and procurement stage”.
These have a project close date of June 2021.
At the formation of the new High Wycombe Regeneration Board, Conservative Cllr Steve Bowles, who is cabinet member for town centre regeneration, urged caution about the pandemic’s impact on the strategy overall.
“One of the first agenda items [for the Board] will be to review the current regeneration plans,” he said.
“We may need to change those post-Covid…[but] some may not have to change.”
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