New driving test centre location proposed in Grimsby
Plans have emerged for the relocation of the DVSA’s driving test centre in Grimsby. But it is not straying far from its existing site.
The DVSA is looking to take over vacant offices at Olympia House, Saxon Court, off Appian Way, Grimsby. It would be a mere few hundred metres from its existing Grimsby Coldwater driving test centre, close to the A180 Pyewipe roundabout.
There is currently a huge national backlog in driving tests, with over 600,000 tests booked as of June. There would be no immediate changes in local test capacity with the replacement driving test centre.
The DVSA has applied for planning permission for the change of use of the vacant offices to a driving test centre. A DVSA spokesperson said: “DVSA is currently negotiating the lease on a permanent new driving test centre for Grimsby. A new location has been identified and we will confirm the location as soon as we are able to.”
Any new driving test centre is a replacement for an existing, rather than an additional one. There will be no immediate changes in test capacity with the move.
The new test centre’s core opening hours would be from 7am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. It would look to get through up to 36 vehicle tests a day on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, including nine motorcycle driving tests on Fridays.
Only two examiners would be employed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, when capacity would be for up to 18 tests to be carried out. The proposed new location has ten car parking spaces.
National Highways has been critical of the transport assessment submitted for the DVSA’s planning application. It has called it “very poor” and with “many deficiencies”.
An issue raised is that the assessment does not take account of the strategic roads network, even though the test centre would be less than 300m away from the A180. It was also pointed out the transport assessment does not cover double counting, where candidates will leave and arrive at the centre twice, because of taking their test.
Despite these criticisms, National Highways has not lodged an objection to the proposal. It deemed it will not have a significant impact on the running of the A180 at Pyewipe, compared to now.
The DVSA will update driving instructors and candidates when the new location for its test centre in Grimsby is confirmed. It is nationally recruiting more driving examiners to try to address the tests backlog.
The Government also brought in changes in April to discourage and lessen the impact of driving tests being block booked out. Since April 8, learner have had to give 10 full working days’ notice to change or cancel their test without losing the fee, rather than three days previously.