Wycombes council offices hit the market

High Wycombe’s historic council offices have been put on the market, opening the door to a major redevelopment of one of the town centre’s most prominent sites.

The 1.1-hectare Queen Victoria Road site, home to the former Wycombe District Council offices dating back to the 1930s, is being marketed by property consultants Chandler Garvey and JLL.

The freehold is being offered on an unconditional and subject-to-planning basis, with the listing describing the site as having significant development potential.

Proposed future uses include residential-led redevelopment, hotel accommodation, mixed-use schemes incorporating commercial or community space, and alternative formats such as build-to-rent, later-living and healthcare.

The site will be handed over with vacant possession, with a first-round bid deadline set for March 16, 2026.

Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet agreed in September last year to market the Queen Victoria Road offices, arguing the building had become “surplus to operational requirements” following the creation of the unitary authority. Council staff are due to relocate to new premises on Denmark Street.

The authority has said the sale forms part of a wider regeneration strategy for High Wycombe, but the decision has proved deeply controversial.

Campaigners and residents have repeatedly called on the council to retain the 1930s civic building, warning that its loss would damage the town’s historic character. A protest against the proposed sale was held in December, attended by Wycombe MP Emma Reynolds.

Cllr Hazel Arthur-Hewitt, the Downley ward councillor, has warned that selling the offices would break up the historic civic avenue along Queen Victoria Road and destroy an important part of the town’s heritage.

A petition launched last year urging the council to retain the 1930s section of the offices attracted over 2,000 signatures.
Independent councillor Khalil Ahmed said the sale risked erasing a key part of High Wycombe’s identity.

He said: “This is not just bricks and mortar; it’s part of the town’s identity. With imagination, the building could serve countless community purposes, but instead, the easy option is chosen, sell it off.”

The listing follows comments from the council’s cabinet member for resources, Cllr Robert Carington, who has encouraged residents to submit bids if they wish to see the building retained.

He said: “It’s wonderful to see so many people invested. We are in an open marketing process so we need to trust the market, and we will see that the market comes up with but I mean in the agenda pages it we would envisage some sort of hybrid residential/ commercial mixed use development.”

His deputy, Cllr Julie Ward, has previously questioned the case for retaining the site, arguing that continued use of the building would represent poor value for money.