Post office victory for W14
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
10/02/2009
The post office will return to W14, almost a year after it shut in a ‘temporary closure’.
The post office counter inside Costcutter on Hammersmith Road closed in February last year, handing W14 the dubious honour of being the first postcode in London not to have a branch since postcodes were introduced in 1857.
But, after vigorous campaigning from Hammersmith & Fulham Council and borough residents, the council has received verbal confirmation that the branch is back.
Das Sodha, the owner of North End News, has just signed, sealed and delivered a contract with the Post Office to become a new sub-postmaster. The shop on North End Road - just yards from Costcutter - will house a counter but it is not known yet when the branch will be up and running.
Mr Sodha, 47, said he had contacted the Post Office immediately after Costcutter closed to offer his shop as an alternative venue and was looking forward to opening. He said: "I can't wait! It has been a long process with lots of checks and interviews but it is now all finalised - I only found out recently. The shop is being refurbished at the minute but it is business as usual."
Mr Sodha said he had received support from local residents, with over 600 people signing a petition to bring the branch to his shop. "Everyone around here has wanted a post office for such a long time and it will be really good for the area to have it back."
Councillor Paul Bristow, cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “W14 was the first postcode in London without a post office and we finally have our branch back. It should never have been taken away in the first place and post office managers should learn that local people know best.
“Since day one, we have been asking the Post Office to give residents their branch, and now it is finally happening. The fight to save postal services in this borough has been tough, but this is a well-earned victory from which so many people will benefit.”
With no nearby branch, local people have been forced out of the W14 postcode to Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush, where queues are among the top five worst in London. Last year, Postwatch Greater London - which has now merged with consumer watchdogs Energywatch and the National Consumer Council - monitored seven post offices and found that Shepherds Bush was the fourth worst branch in the capital for queuing times.
Cllr Bristow added: “Being without a post office has placed an intolerable burden on branches in neighbouring areas, particularly Shepherds Bush in W12, where the queues are now horrendous. On one occasion it took me almost half an hour to post one small parcel - double the average waiting time of 14 minutes and 12 seconds.
“Reinstating a branch at North End News will mean the end of journeys out of the postcode for Olympia residents and workers, and will restore a sorely missed, vital community hub.”
The council is also continuing to talk to Royal Mail about placing an enquiry office in Askew Road Library. Royal Mail bosses met with Cllr Bristow in November for a tour of the Shepherds Bush library and are currently working out whether the building is suitable or not.
The current delivery depot in Silver Road, which covers W12 and W10 areas of Shepherds Bush and North Kensington, is set to close in September when its lease runs out. Royal Mail plans to merge five delivery offices in west London and move the set-up to Park Royal in Brent but says that residents will not have to go out of the borough to pick up their missed deliveries.
“The library is the perfect place to house an office and is in a very convenient spot on a busy main road,” said Cllr Bristow. “The feedback we have been getting from the Royal Mail has been positive and all the signs are looking good.”
» Visit our Post Office closures hot topic page
» Share your views
