STUDENTS and staff at Eastleigh College will be able to get their vehicles MoT'd on the spot - thanks to moves to put mechanical engineering courses into overdrive.

The borough council's authority's Eastleigh local area committee has agreed to an application to change the use of a garage fronting Cherbourg Road on the college campus to incorporate an MoT testing station.

But councillors have stipulated that customers must only be Eastleigh College students or members of staff.

Eastleigh's assistant head of development control Ted Howles told councillors that mechanical engineering students already used the building as a workshop.

"What the college want to do is put a layer of reality into the educational process and train students in carrying out MoT tests and issuing certificates.

"The main issue we were concerned about was the traffic. A commercial centre would attract more people and traffic but this is not seen as a commercial venture."

Mr Howles said recommended conditions also included limiting the number of vehicles to a maximum of three a day.

Councillor Alan Broadhurst said councillors had been contacted by a number of residents in the area who were "most concerned" that if conditions were not imposed it would turn into a commercial venture.

But he added: "I think the conditions are perfectly acceptable to the residents and I think it will be a good facility. All my original doubts and the doubts of the residents I have spoken to since have been dealt with."

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