NHS trust buys 1930s council offices in town centre

An NHS trust has bought a council office as part of plans to deliver more neighbourhood care.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHNT) purchased the building, in Queen Victoria Road in High Wycombe town centre, from Buckinghamshire Council.

BHNT said it was aiming to create a neighbourhood hub and wanted to bring more services under one roof.

Future development will be subject to planning approval, but the trust has said it will keep the 1930s building's historic façade.

The site had been on the market for £5m. What BHNT paid for it has not been disclosed.

The council said BHNT was the preferred bidder after a competitive tender process.

BHNT said the office, which the council said was currently under-used, had offered "flexibility for a wide range of future uses", including clinical and educational.

It has 180 parking spaces, which the trust said meant easier access for patients, visitors and staff.

"We are delighted to purchase the Queen Victoria Road site, which gives us the space and flexibility to work with our partners to bring services together, create genuine neighbourhood health hubs, and make it easier for local people to access care closer to home," said Raghuv Bhasin, BHNT's chief executive.

The trust will not move into the building for about a year, while the council continues to use it.

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