Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to know ,in detail, how the decision to site the new multi purpose driving test centre in Kettering as opposed to Wellingborough was arrived at by the Driving Standards Agency.

Yours faithfully,
Clive Moore.

Dear Sir or Madam,
Could you please address the request I made on the 13th April 2008 at your earliest opportunity.

Yours sincerely,

Clive Moore

Driving Standards Agency

Customer Enquiry Unit

P.O. Box 280

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE NE99 1FP

Enquiries and Bookings : 0300 200 1122

Fax: 0300 200 1155

[email address]

www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest

Our ref: 0804/00594

16 May 2008

Dear Mr Moore

Thank you for your request for information on the decision to site a new
multi-purpose test centre in Kettering rather than in Wellingborough.
Please allow me to apologise to the delayed response to your enquiry.

Decisions relating to the number and location of test centres are the
responsibility of our Estates department. We have forwarded your email
to Estates, however the member of staff dealing specifically with the
area including Northamptonshire is currently away from the office and
will return next week. We will endeavour to reply to you as soon as
possible.

Yours sincerely

Tristan Williams

Customer Enquiry Unit

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Mr Moore

As a member of the MPTC project team, I have been passed your query
regarding the choice of Kettering as the location of an MPTC as opposed
to Wellingborough.

At the start of the MPTC project the DSA identified the requirement for
a search centred on Wellingborough. It was identified that location of
an MPTC in either Wellingborough or Kettering was acceptable.

The site search was undertaken from the Northampton office of our
acquisition agents Lambert Smith Hampton by way of mail shot to agents
active in the areas, approaches to land owners and developers andpublic
authorities. This was supported by a national advertisement in the
Estates Gazette.

A number of options were identified within the Wellingborough and
Kettering areas and the following schedule identifies these
possibilities and provides a commentary as to why they were pursued or
abandoned:-

Park Farm Industrial Estate, Huxley Close, Wellingborough.

Operationally suitable, but the Council were selling the site and
preferred another bidder on employment grounds.

Irthlingborough Road, Wellingborough

Operationally unsuitable for the DSA.

Bevan Close, Wellingborough

Contaminated site and acquisition deal fell through.

The Embankment, Wellingborough

Operationally suitable and terms agreed with the vendor. However, the
vendor withdrew from the transaction to use the site for his own hire
business.

Ogee Business Park, Wellingborough

Operationally unsuitable for the DSA.

Sanders Road Business Park, Wellingborough

Operationally suitable, but remediation required putting this outside
scope for acquisition within the period required by DSA.

Meadow Close, Ise Valley Industrial Estate, Wellingborough

Operationally unsuitable for the DSA.

Gerrard Way, Kettering

Operationally unsuitable for the DSA.

Henson Way, Kettering

Operationally unsuitable for the DSA.

Patterson Road, Wellingborough

Operationally suitable, but unable to agree terms with developer who
favoured sub division of existing building rather than demolition and
develop.

Orion Way, Kettering

Operationally suitable and the site that is being developed for use as
an MPTC.

As you can see, the DSA searched both Wellingborough and Kettering,
considering a number of options that were brought to our attention.
Following due diligence, the first one that proved deliverable,
represented value-for-money and was approved by the appropriate local
planning authority was Orion Way, Kettering. Therefore the decision was
taken to locate an MPTC there and this should become operational in
August.

Kind regards

Chris Huntington

MPTC Project

Driving Standards Agency

email: [email address]

Tel: 0115 936 6838

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Dear Huntington, Chris,

I would like to thank you for your detailed reply to my question. It will be most useful in explaining the process to the Kettering Driving Instructors Association.

Yours sincerely,

Clive Moore