Car
Newcastle’s test centre is based on its northern outskirts, in the borough of Gosforth. The venue, Arden House, resides within the Regent Centre complex. If driving towards the test site, please look to use the A1 or A167, which both provide good connections to Gosforth.
Although the venue is roughly 5km outside Newcastle city centre, there are plenty of good parking and public transport options available.
Regent Centre Metro Car Park
This car park is located on-site and is just a short, three-minute walk from the test centre itself. This facility is open from 7.00am-12.30am. From 5.00pm onwards, the site is free to use. If parking between 7.00am-5.00pm, you’ll be charged a fixed rate of £1.20, regardless of the length of your stay. .
Payment can be made by cash, or using the PayByPhone service line. To pay by phone, please text 65565, quoting the Location ID, 805546. Disabled spaces are available at this car park.
Although this car park is very close to the test centre, you will need to walk around the Regent Centre to access the venue. Walk along Regent Farm Road, before turning right at the roundabout and entering the complex on your right-hand side. Arden House is at the opposite end of the site.
Salters Road Car Park
This car park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. However, charges are only applied between 8.00am-6.00pm, Monday to Saturday. Parking outside of these hours (including Sundays) is free of charge.
This is another cheap option, with parking priced at just £0.30 per hour. However, please note that this site has a maximum stay policy, whereby users can only park for up to 3 hours. Nevertheless, this will still give you more than enough time to find the test site, take your test, and then return to your vehicle.
Again, you can either pay by cash or phone. If using the PayByPhone payment service, please either contact 0191-628-0000, or SMS 65565, this time referencing the Location ID, 805441. Disabled parking is available at this car park.
The venue is roughly 800m away. Head northbound up Hedley Terrace, turn right on Regent Road North, and then continue straight on at the first roundabout. Please then head right into the Regent Centre, and over to Arden House.
Although we believe these are the most suitable parking facilities, alternative options can be found here.
Bus
Although the testing venue is located quite far from Newcastle City Centre, there are multiple bus routes that head towards Regent Centre. We’ve highlighted four of the main routes.
- 31: This service operates between Slatyford to the west of Newcastle city centre, and Kenton in the north. Please exit the bus at Ivy Road, just off Salters Road. From here, the venue is an 800m, northbound walk, heading up Regent Road North. Again, please continue straight ahead at the roundabout, then turn right into the Regent Centre.
- 44: This bus travels north-south between Newcastle city centre and Dinnington. It will allow you to exit at the Regent Centre, with the bus stop located adjacently to the car park. Therefore, please follow the connecting travel guidance given in the Regent Centre Car Park section.
- 553: This route starts in the east of Gosforth and terminates at the Regents Centre. Please therefore leave the bus at the last stop.
- X10: There are a variety of ‘X’ services (X10, X11, X21, X22) that head between Newcastle and Blyth/Ashington (heading on a north-east – south-west transit line). There is also an X10 bus that starts in Middlesbrough, and terminates in Newcastle city centre (and therefore doesn’t progress further north towards the venue). All other routes pass through the Regent Centre.
For alternative routes towards Regent Centre, please visit the following ‘Moovit’ page.
Train
A metro line operates throughout Newcastle and the surrounding areas. The green line will take you directly to the Regent Centre. This service starts in South Hylton, Sunderland, and terminates at Newcastle Airport.
Information on departure and arrival times, as well as station facilities at Regent Central, can be found on the Metro website.
Regent Centre Metro address
Great North Road,
West Gosforth,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
NE3 3PF
Newcastle Central Train Station is a busy transport hub, and facilitates travel into the city from various parts of the country. Unfortunately, the station is situated over 5km from the test centre, and therefore is the onwards journey to the centre is too far to realistically walk. However, the number 31 service can take you close to the venue. Please head to the station bus stop on nearby Clayton Street West; a short, three-minute westbound walk away from Newcastle Central. Catch the 31 (Fawdon) bus heading north, and once again exit at Ivy Road. Please refer back the earlier instructions for onwards travel. This journey will take approximately 30 minutes to conduct.
Station address:
Neville Street,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Tyne & Wear,
NE1 5DL
Test Centre Details
Please note that if using public transport, you’ll be taken to the east side of the Regent Centre. Therefore, as mentioned previously, you’ll always need to walk along Regent Farm Road, turn right at the roundabout, and continue into the complex to access Arden House. If approaching on foot, simply head straight on at the roundabout at the top of Regent Road North, and turn right into the Regent Centre.