PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Come mid-2017, Plettenberg Bay will be home to its own driving licence testing centre.
Bitou mayor Peter Lobese on January 10 celebrated this initiative during a sod-turning event, and the licensing offices officially opened on Thursday, January 12.
According to Monde Stratu, head of community services, the licensing office containing facilities for eye testing, recording fingerprints, writing the learner's licence test and submitting the appropriate forms is located at the back of the New Horizons municipal library.
"The testing grounds, which should be completed by mid-2017, is just the first phase of the proposed R240-million development," said Stratu.
The new centre will be constructed in Ladywood just outside Plettenberg Bay, and means that Bitou will finally become independent from neighbouring Knysna for testing centre services.
The property has been earmarked for a proposed development aimed at centralising the municipal offices.
In 2015 the municipality announced that there were plans in the pipeline for a "one-stop centre".
According to a feasibility study, services offered by the Bitou municipality are currently dispersed over a number of offices throughout the town, resulting in inefficiencies and the hampering of accessibility to the community.
The project is proposed to incorporate a total of 16 110 sq m, including 7 397 sq m of office space, meeting rooms, toilets, circulation space and storage, and 8 712 sq m for parking.
These also include housing the driver’s license testing centre, fire station services, vehicle and animal impound facilities, offices for traffic and municipal law enforcement officials, a communication centre, a commercial area, disaster management services, an alcohol testing facility and a technical centre.
An analysis indicated that the best technical option solution would be a new building rather than the utilisation of existing municipal-owned office space or the conversion and leasing of existing office space. The analysis also showed that there is no existing building within the area that can accommodate the space requirements of the municipality.
ARTICLE BY KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD STAFF REPORTERS
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