FLINTSHIRE’S only driving test centre is to close despite a desperate campaign to save it.
Mold test centre will close when a new facility opens in Wrexham, leaving Flintshire without a test centre. It means learner drivers from the county will have to travel to Wrexham, Chester or Rhyl to take their test.
Driving instructors, who petitioned the government when the closure was first proposed several months ago, claim the move will double lesson costs for learners and deal a major blow to Mold’s economy.
There are also fears that the new set-up will mean learners are less prepared when they come to ditch their L-plates and get behind the wheel themselves.
Peter Evans, a driving instructor from Connah’s Quay, said: “It’s a great shame that Mold is closing because it has been a fantastic test centre since it opened in the 1960s.
“Even instructors from Wrexham have said to me that Mold is a better training area because you have got more variety in terms of urban areas and rural lanes.
“The congestion in Wrexham is such that driver training will not be as good as in Mold and then there is the issue of delays and tests having to be cancelled because of the traffic.”
The campaign to save the Mold centre, on St David’s Lane, was backed by Delyn MP David Hanson and Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, who lobbied the Driving Standards Agency.
The DSA claims “co-locating” the Mold centre within the new Wrexham site will save money and ultimately lead to a drop in the price of tests.
But Mr Evans said: “A lot of learners from places like Ruthin, Holywell, Northop, Sychdyn and of course Mold, will have to travel much further and will end up having to book two-hour lessons in the run-up to their test.
“It’s 15 miles to the Chester centre in Huntington from Connah’s Quay and the time it takes to get there will essentially be dead time.
“Then you’ve got the amount of fuel that will be used.”
He added: “Instructors spend money on fuel, servicing, tea and shopping in Mold and all that will be gone.”
A DSA spokesman said: “Once the lease has been completed for the new Wrexham centre we can start making operational plans to bring staff back from Mold to Wrexham.
“We don’t know when that will be because the lease has not been completed yet.”