One of Kent’s tallest buildings could soon host a new driving test centre in a move to tackle soaring wait times for learners.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has lodged a bid to transform part of Ashford’s International House into a dedicated testing site.
Ashford Borough Council relocated its headquarters to International House, Ashford, in December 2024
Ashford Borough Council (ABC), which moved its headquarters into the 11-storey Dover Place landmark last December, currently uses the proposed space – Suite One on the second floor – as offices.
Planning agents Newmark, acting for the DVSA, say the 73 sq m area would play a role in easing a nationwide shortage of available driving tests.
With UK wait times at around 22 weeks, would-be drivers must bear heavier financial burdens while paying for more lessons to maintain their skills.
Official papers state: “The DVSA is currently facing significant challenges related to booking driving tests and, at present, the demand to book tests disproportionately outweighs the quantum of tests available.
“The DVSA is therefore actively and urgently working to invest in new test centres to address the growing demand for driving tests, with a particular focus on areas where there is particularly high demand or where current test centres are oversubscribed.
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) begun operating from International House in December
“The facility is required to meet the local need for car driving tests and would support the government’s objective to reduce driving test waiting times.
“The site is on an established test route and provides appropriate internal space and car parking.”
The agency, an arm of the Department for Transport, says resource constraints and Covid-19 disruption have left the system under pressure.
Around one million tests were missed during the pandemic, leading to a backlog exacerbated by temporary centre closures, reduced capacity and stricter safety measures.
By May 2023, the DVSA had taken 800,000 new test bookings – up 7% on pre-pandemic demand.
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) moved from the Civic Centre to International House at the end of last year
The scarcity of slots has pushed many learners to travel to other parts of the country for tests.
If approved, the new Ashford centre would employ seven staff on testing days – six examiners and a site manager – and could handle up to 48 tests daily. Fourteen parking spaces would be set aside for staff and candidates.
Tests would begin and end at International House, typically running 7.30am – 7.30pm on weekdays and 7am – 4.30pm on Saturdays, with each route lasting just under an hour.
ABC owns both International House – bought for £7.9 million in 2014 – and the Civic Centre near the town centre, home to the borough’s existing test facility.
But rising running costs at the latter have made it increasingly unviable, prompting the council’s move.
Ashford Borough Council’s Civic Centre in Tannery Lane is where learner drivers currently have to attend
The DVSA has therefore said the new facility would replace its existing site at the Civic Centre, rather than accompany it.
It says there will be no changes to testing capacity compared with the current centre, adding it will update driving instructors and candidates should the plans be approved.
A spokesperson said: “DVSA is currently negotiating the lease on a permanent replacement driving test centre for Ashford.”
The “civic suite” at Tannery Lane, including the chamber and mayor’s parlour, remains in use.
Council leader Cllr Noel Ovenden has previously said “there is no intention of mothballing” the building as a whole.
Leader of Ashford Borough Council (ABC) and representative for Wye with Hinxhill, Noel Ovenden
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A decision on the application is due by October 6.