I called into Portsmouth DVLA office yesterday to get my VIN. I won't go into too much detail but some staff really DONT know what they are talking about
. However eventually got to talk to somene who showed a bit of interest and came away with a VIN.
At the end of our chat I asked how this would work when the offices closed and the answer is that the whole process will be done by correspondance only (no personal visits) with Swansea.
So if you have half a chance of finishing your build in the next 6-12 months get on with it before the whole system is in chaos.