Residents up in arms over NCT centre times
By Laura Lyne
RESIDENTS in Tymon continue to be faced with late openings and noise issues from the NCT Centre on the Greenhills Road, despite a recent planning decision by An Bord Pleanála which does not allow the centre to remain open after 8pm.
Late-night hours also continue to take place in the centre on Tuesday nights although such opening hours were never granted permission by South Dublin County Council or An Bord Pleanála.
As reported in The Echo last month, An Bord Pleanála ruled that opening hours for the centre would be from 8am to 6pm on Monday and Tuesday, 8am to 8pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8am to 6pm on Saturday and that the centre would be closed on Sunday and bank or public holidays.
Original opening hours granted for the centre in 2010 included late-night opening until 10 o’clock from Wednesday to Friday and weekend opening on Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 5pm.
Appointments can still be made online for late-night operating hours at the centre, including Tuesday nights.
Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor Mick Murphy has been working with local residents over the last 12 months to have the opening hours of the centre reduced, and has previously told The Echo that the current location of the NCT Centre on the Greenhills Road is “unsuitable”.
Cllr Murphy said: “Last Tuesday the staff in the NCT were working away into late hours, and have been open late hours on a Tuesday for years.
“Clearly the NCT Centre continue to flaunt their old planning permission, never mind the new, and will now be coming into conflict with the council’s planning enforcement section.
“The bottom line is one way or another they will have to comply regarding the permission they have. If they continue to take bookings that blatantly flaunt the permission that they have, then we will be forced to take further action.”
The Echo contacted Applus Car Testing Services, which runs the centre on behalf of the NCT, but a response was not received in time for print.
