High Wycombe’s new driving test centre has been given the green light – a major relief for instructors who have fought against plans to get rid of the old one for months.

It was announced in 2020 that the High Wycombe Driving Test Centre, which was in Wellington Road, was going to be shut down because the Driving Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said running it was “not a good use of public money”.

This prompted outrage from local driving instructors, the thousands of young people learning to drive in the town and Wycombe MP Steve Baker, who all said it was vitally important the town had a test centre.

After a huge campaign, press coverage and even a mention in the House of Commons, the DVSA reconsidered their plans to remove a test centre from the town completely, instead asking local instructors to find an alternative cheaper site.

All driving tests that were booked at High Wycombe were moved 18 miles away to Slough, but driving instructors branded the decision "shameful".

Now, plans have been approved for a new driving test centre at Ashton Court in Kingsmead Business Park for a period of three years.

It is envisaged that the centre will be operated by two examiners (with a maximum of three examiners if required) on any given testing day.

The proposed operational hours would be 7:30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

On some occasions testing could also take place on Saturdays.

On some occasions in the summer months, testing may continue up to 6pm hours in daylight with some examiners carrying out further tests during the day.

Cllr Darren Hayday explained "how terrible" it was for the local driving instructors when the old site closed down and for new learner drivers having to go Slough.

He said: "As someone who has been working behind the scenes to get a new location for Wycombe to have its own Driving Centre again, I am very pleased to support this application at this current location. Please do allow this change of use to happen, so that this site can be used for the driving centre. It's a good location. Also, the 3 years gives it time to bed in and hopefully to allow an extension or to find another location.

"It was terrible both for the new drivers of Wycombe and the surrounding area, and also for all of the local driving instructors when the old site closed down. Learner drivers to this day have to go all the way to Slough to take their driving tests."