 High Wycombe has a population of 120,257 people and the town centre was not much of an attraction, with shops spread out over a large area.Moreover, the town was seen as being overshadowed by nearby towns with larger shopping centres, such as the Queensmere Observatory (Slough), King Edward Court (Windsor), the Oracle (Reading), the Chimes (Uxbridge), Harlequin Shopping Centre (Watford) and Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre (Milton Keynes).A new shopping centre was agreed to rejuvenate the town.