Plans submitted for new MOT test centre

A planning application for a new MOT testing centre is to be considered by Lisburn and Castlereagh council next week.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st Oct 2019, 07:46 BST
The planned new MOT centre will be able to handle more than 90,000 tests annuallyThe planned new MOT centre will be able to handle more than 90,000 tests annually
The planned new MOT centre will be able to handle more than 90,000 tests annually

The planned new testing centre at Hydebank has been described by the Department for Infrastructure as a “longer term” measure to address lengthy backlogs faced by motorists.

Drivers across Northern Ireland have been affected this year by delays stretching as long as two months for a vehicle inspection appointment at one of the 15 existing testing centres, although these delays appear to have finally been reduced.

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The long backlog faced by drivers across Northern Ireland was first brought to public attention by the News Letter at the beginning of June.

Since that time, the Driver and Vehicle Agency had been forced to take a number of short-term measures to try and tackle the backlog.

Extra staff were recruited and MOT centres were open for longer, while the reminder letters issued to drivers to ensure they book their test with enough time before their certification expires were sent out weeks earlier than normal.

A limited number of centres were also opened on Sundays, the first time such a step had ever happened in Northern Ireland.

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A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said: “The new, additional test centre, will provide the capacity to deliver in excess of 90,000 additional tests per year in the Greater Belfast area and is at an advanced stage of development.

“It is envisaged that construction on the site will commence next year, with a planned completion date by 2022.”

The application for planning permission will be considered at the next planning committee meeting at Lisburn and Castlereagh Council, due to take place on Monday afternoon.

The application is listed as being for the “development of Driver and Vehicle Agency Test Centre and Operational Depot including associated offices, landscaping, car parking, electrical sub-station, retaining wall and improvements to sections of access road from junction of Milltown Road and Hospital Road at Hydebank, 4 Hospital Road, Belfast.”

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Meanwhile, the measures taken by the DVA to address the backlog to date appear to have begun to take effect.

In August, motorists were being forced to wait more than two months for an MOT appointment across most of the 15 testing centres.

The DVA’s booking website now shows a wait time of around one month at most centres.

Related topics:MOTDriversCastlereaghDepartment for InfrastructureLisburnNorthern Ireland