“COMMERCIAL SENSITIVITY” of negotiations has been cited by the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) for their inability to comment on the delay in opening a second NCT centre for the county.
Work had commenced in the summer of 2021 on a site in the Smithstown Industrial Estate in Shannon which was to become the county’s second NCT centre. In May 2022, the NCTS said “significant contractual difficulties” meant the Shannon centre would not proceed. Currently, Clare motorists have to contend with a six month backlog for NCT appointments.
In October, the Road Safety Authority’s Chief Operations Officer Brendan Walsh said work was underway to have an NCT centre in Shannon but refused to outline where but that potential sites were identified.
Officials in the RSA said that negotiations are ongoing for this centre in Shannon but due to their commercial sensitivity, the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) does not wish to comment until contracts are finalised.
Clare TD, Michael McNamara (IND) who submitted a recent parliamentary question on the topic. He was annoyed with the “inordinate delay” in delivering the second NCT centre for the county, the need for which is greater than ever. The matter was recently debated by elected members of Clare County Council with Cllr John Crowe (FG) flagging the backlog with a notice of motion.
Deputy McNamara stated, “In May 2021, the NCTS informed me it was on schedule to open an NCT Centre at the Smithstown Industrial Estate, but this was subsequently halted due to significant contractual difficulties. What was particularly disappointing was the fact that construction work on the new centre had already commenced, including the erecting of the centre’s steel structure, and it was expected that the centre would be operational by the end of 2021. Separately I have learned that another property-owner in Clare found the NCTS difficult to deal with to the extent that he withdrew his expression of interest”.
He added, “However, as always In Ireland, there’s little or no accountability for any failings by State agencies and it’s ordinary people who suffer. It appears that little progress has been made in the intervening 18 months and this inordinate delay is resulting in growing waiting times for motorists in the county”.
Scariff native McNamara like Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) has previously suggested an NCT centre be opened in Kilrush. The TD said he will continue to push for this option. “I have previously requested the NCTS to review the potential for a centre in Kilrush to accommodate thousands of people in the west of the county who face much longer than average journey times to an NCT centre. The NCTS has confirmed to me that the patterns of demand for testing and the need for test facilities in Clare will be kept under constant review by NCTS. I will continue to make representations on the matter”.
