Rathgar driving test centre to close.

Rathgar driving test centre to close. But Allied Driving Instructors can still help with driving lessons in Rathgar.

RSA Press Release.

Dear ADI. Our Colleagues in Driving Testing have asked us to kindly pass on this message to ADI’s who may be affected by disruptions to Services in the Rathgar Area. Rathgar driving test centre is to close.

I wish to inform you that the Driver Testing Service has been notified that the building from which driving tests are conducted at 75 Orwell Road, Rathgar, has been sold and that the RSA has been requested to vacate the building by the end of January 2016.

The Road Safety Authority is currently engaged with the OPW to establish an alternative location within a reasonable distance of the existing driving test centre given the continued demand for driving tests in the area. We are currently examining options with them from a suitability point of view, and once we have an alternative location agreed with the assistance of the OPW, we will inform you of it at the earliest opportunity.

We acknowledge that this development is sudden and will impact on you, and hope that you will appreciate that this matter is beyond our control. I would like to assure you that the RSA is committed to establishing an alternative solution as soon as possible.

!!!Update!!!

I refer to previous correspondence advising members and ADI’s of the upcoming closure of Rathgar Driving Test Centre.

I can now confirm that the last day of testing in Rathgar DTC will be Friday 15th January 2016.

Over the past number of weeks, the RSA have examined several locations within the South Dublin area with a view to finding a suitable location. We have identified an alternative temporary location at Rochestown Lodge & Spa Hotel, Rochestown Avenue, Dun Laoghaire which will be operational from 18th January 2016. We are currently working to put this in place and to ensure communications are issued to advise customers of this. To this end, we will be placing a notice on the RSA website tomorrow 25th November. We are also preparing to issue letters/emails to all candidates who have applied for a test in Rathgar explaining the situation to them and these will issue in the next week.

Given the timelines we work to, it is unlikely that we will be able to accommodate all candidates who have applied for a test in Rathgar with an appointment there prior to the closure date, however we will move those candidates to the Dun Laoghaire location or any other Test Centre of their choice.

The RSA are also working with the OPW to identify a more long term solution and a location at Clonard Road, Crumlin has been found suitable, however it needs some works to be completed before it is fit for purpose. This work is currently in the planning stages and it would be hoped that it would be up and running in mid-2016. Once the location in Crumlin is completed, we envisage that we will cease testing in the Dun Laoghaire location and move testing operations from there to Crumlin. Therefore at this stage, we would see testing in Dun Laoghaire happening for a six month period and then moving to Crumlin.

I will update you once we have any further developments on the matter and I appreciate your assistance and co-operation.

Further update:

I refer to previous correspondence advising you of the upcoming closure of Rathgar Driving Test Centre.

As previously advised, we will be conducting driving tests from the Rochestown Lodge Hotel & Spa, Dun Laoghaire, from the 18th January 2016 as an interim solution until the more permanent solution sourced by the OPW on our behalf in Crumlin is fit for purpose.

However, for operational reasons, we have decided to open an additional interim driving test centre at Landscape House, Landscape Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14, which is a location which arose in more recent weeks for consideration. In the light of this, we will only be operating from the Dun Laoghaire location for a three month period with effect from the 18th January 2016 and it is likely we will have a maximum of two Driver Testers working there, with the remainder operating from the Churchtown location.

We plan to then operate fully from the Churchtown location until the Crumlin location is ready for us, which is likely to be mid Summer 2016.
We are currently putting in place arrangements to have both the Dun Laoghaire and Churchtown locations ready for occupation with effect from 18th January 2016.

I will update you once we have any further developments on the matter and I appreciate your assistance and co-operation.

Category: RSA Press Release