High Wycombe will have a driving test centre when the lease on the current building runs out next month, it has just been confirmed.

At 5pm, Wycombe MP Steve Baker was speaking in Parliament after securing an adjournment debate on driving tests in the town.

In an impassioned speech, he urged Rachel Maclean, parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Transport, to help keep a driving test centre in the town.

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The current centre will shut on March 12 after the Driving Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said it was not a good use of public money.  

But in great news for the town, and the campaigners who have fought the keep the provision in High Wycombe, Ms Maclean confirmed that the DVSA is in “advanced talks” with a new landlord on the Cressex Business Park, close to its current property in Wellington Road.

She said: "I'm very pleased to announce today that as a result of [Mr Baker's] efforts, and the hard work and dedication that he has put into this campaign, I'm delighted to be able to confirm today that the DVSA is progressing a proposal to maintain driving tests in High Wycombe and the agency is at an advanced stage of discussions with a new landlord.

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"The current driving test centre in High Wycombe is a large, two-storey building on the business park and this site can accommodate 15+ driving examiners, but just two work there permanently. 

"The accommodation is much too large and it does attract high running costs, so it does make little financial sense to the DVSA or its customers to continue to operate out of such a site. 

"The DVSA is now progressing with a proposal to maintain driving tests and these premises are also located on the business park, the location of the existing centre, meaning minimal disruption during transition to the new site."

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Mr Baker said he was “absolutely delighted” at the announcement and paid tribute to the driving instructors who have helped campaign for the continuation of the service.

He said: "It's fantastic news and I pay tribute to the driving instructors for the brilliant campaign they've run and all the research they have done and their engagement with the DVSA. 

"I very much home Buckinghamshire Council will of course look favourably upon this planning application - I think if they didn't, local residents would be extremely surprised." 

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The new centre will likely be based at the 'Hub Space’ in Cressex Business Park.

Thousands of people signed a petition to help prevent the closure of the town's driving test centre and a campaign called Save Wycombe Driving Test Centre was set up by instructors, who worked hard to engage with the DVSA on suitable alternative sites.