Royal Mail will keep offices in H and F
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
30/07/2008
Royal Mail bosses have backtracked on plans to close a postal delivery office.
Following pressure from Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Royal Mail has confirmed that residents will not have to travel out of the borough to collect their missed parcels.
At a meeting on Monday July 21 in Hammersmith Town Hall, Royal Mail’s Martine Munby, head of external relations for London, the south east and east of England, and area manager Nicola Scrivings, told the council that the Blythe Road office in Olympia, which covers the W14 postcode, no longer faces the axe.
But the Silver Road depot in Shepherds Bush – which serves 30,000 customers in W10 and W12, and deals with about 300 undelivered items each day – is still due for closure as the Royal Mail’s lease runs out in September next year.
However, Royal Mail has guaranteed residents who use the depot that ‘services will be unaffected’ by the relocation of the Silver Road depot to Premier Park in Brent, as they will be keeping an enquiry office, where residents can collect parcels, in the area.
Ms Scrivings confirmed that so far, Royal Mail has no particular alternative building in mind. “We have to have a solution by Christmas,” she said at the meeting. “We will still have a local place to pick up parcels but are still looking for a suitable site.”
Potential premises that can house an enquiry office would be small shop outlets with disabled access, suitable storage space, security and parking. Royal Mail also is looking to extend its current hours to open over the weekend and in the afternoon.
“The perfect solution is Askew Road Library – it is secure, has counters, and is open every day,” said Councillor Paul Bristow cabinet member for residents’ services.
“It is in a very convenient spot on a busy main road; if anything it is easier to get to than the Silver Road depot. Our next move is to arrange a visit from the Royal Mail to see if it fits their criteria for an enquiry office.”
Ms Munby and Ms Scrivings have agreed to pass on this information to property experts within their organisation and this has now set the ball rolling for further talks later this year.
They also explained that the number of mail trolleys residents have grown used to seeing left outside at night, and that have been prone to vandalism, will not rise under the new proposals. In fact, Ms Munby claimed, ‘the increased use of vehicle deliveries is quite likely to reduce the use of trolleys.’
While W14 is now off its hit-list, Royal Mail is still hoping to re-site the five remaining delivery offices in west London, including the Silver Road depot which covers W12 and W10 areas of Shepherds Bush and North Kensington. The others facing relocation are W2 Paddington, W8 Kensington, W9 Maida Hill and W11 Notting Hill.
