This is what you have been writing to us about this week.

Former Conservative Councillor Roger Colomb recalls that in the earlier days of the Eden shopping centre project the Environment Agency were “very negative” about a “water feature” at the Oxford Road roundabout because the water levels would not be high enough.

That was then, but in 2015, when pushing Westbourne Street through to the Oxford Road/West Wycombe Road junction as part of the now-completed project to build the Alternative Route around the town centre, Wycombe District Council had the foresight to enlarge the culvert under Westbourne Street, with the specific purpose (which is well-documented) of enabling them to better control the water level of the River Wye through the town when deculverting took place in the future.

Indeed, if you visit the site of the culvert, you will see that the scope for controlling the outflow level (which would be in conjunction with the weir beyond the town) is huge.

In fact, unlike the Hughenden Stream, although the flow of the Wye, and indeed its source (in West Wycombe but sometimes as far up as Radnage), is affected by the level of the aquifer in the surrounding Chilterns, the River Wye never dries up.

There is no water abstraction west of the town centre. The amount of rainfall will of course be affected by climate change – there will be a long-term reduction but more frequent storms.

Even if the River Wye did begin to stop seasonally, which has never happened before, that would not negate the amenity value of getting it up to the surface where it can be appreciated and enjoyed, and remind people of our town’s remarkable history.

Also, Roger Colomb asks if the alternative route can handle all the cross-town traffic.

Well, that was the intention of building it, and the decision was backed up by a thorough traffic study at the time by Bucks County Council.

On that basis the Town Centre Masterplan was adopted and put into the 2013 Delivery & Site Allocations Plan, approved by the council at a time when Roger was still a WDC Councillor in the ruling Conservative Group.

Chris Woodman, High Wycombe

Your article, last week, ‘Views split on reopening River Wye’, fairly makes the case for not doing so.

Abuse and neglect of the river, where already open, and maintaining existing infrastructure, first, are good points about personal behaviour and the council’s performance.

However, I have just inspected the stretch of the river in the town centre which is already open, between Abbey Way and The Riverside building, and found no rubbish, at all; and the strategic point is ‘The town that nearly died of traffic’ is at risk of becoming ‘The town that nearly lost its mojo’.

The flyover overcame the former, at the cost of the river; and overcoming the latter will simply reverse this, subject to the council checking that the alternative route is coping with local traffic.

The council is also obliged to achieve value for money, for such a project, but that has been achieved with a similar project in Reading.

Town centres are changing, everywhere. The remaining retail is more likely to thrive in the right infrastructure; and a river flowing completely through the town will attract more residents to live in the town centre instead, and, for the first time, tourists to this historic market town and now perfectly connected ‘Gateway to the Chilterns’. 

Tony Hatton, High Wycombe

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