I recently passed my skills test also, and was having the same debate as to whether apply online/by post/take it to the caa in person. In the end I opted to take the 45 minute car journey and take all the paperwork down in person as I figured it would be quicker. It is very efficient there, I arrived around 2pm and it was quiet. At the desk they asked if I just wanted to drop off the application or speak to someone from licensing. I opted to speak with someone as I had a few questions. They printed me off a pass to get through the barrier and showed me the waiting area and within a minute or two someone was with me. I got them to check through everything to make sure everything was present and correct which it was, asked a few questions and then I was on my way. Overall I'd say I was in the building 10-15 minutes. The next day they left a message saying that they'd received my application and that the processing time was approx. 4 weeks, which was some improvement on the 6-8 weeks which I was told when at the caa.