Recently I went in to a shop in Desborough Road to buy something. As there was a queue waiting behind me I walked towards the front of the shop to put the change and receipt into my wallet.

Unbeknown to me a young lady had been watching put my money away through the front window of the shop. As I opened the door to leave she asked if I had any spare change that she could have. Of course she knew there was change and several notes in my wallet after all she had seen me put them in. Suddenly I felt unsafe but briskly walked past her shaking my head to say “No” and went on my journey.

I have heard tales of beggars and drug addicts frequenting Desborough Road but in all the time I have lived in Wycombe this was the first time that I had personal experience of encountering such a person in that road.

Desborough Road was once a very respectable area full of shops that served the local community but sadly I fear its status has declined in recent years. Gone are the grocers, green grocers, butchers, clock menders, toy shops and cobblers that you would expect to find in a row of shops that support a local community. Sadly they have been replaced with takeaways that exist for the benefit of people who want to buy fast food and leave as fast as the food they have bought in their cars.

The new complex is only a few yards down the road so any visitors who come to the complex and stray up Desborough Road are also likely to have a similar experience. What ever will they think?