Plans to reopen Welwyn Park Post Office move a step closer

PLANS to reopen a city post office have moved a step closer.

A public consultation on the proposal to bring back the Welwyn Park Post Office was launched earlier this month.

Residents in the Welwyn Park and Beverley Road area of the city are now being urged to support the plans and have until Friday, February 15 to respond.

The plan to bring the service back into action is being led by Intervolve – a social enterprise that wants to run the post office on a not-for-profit basis and reinvest profits in the community.

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James Morris, of Intervolve, said: "As people who live locally, we know that people in this area want a post office back.

"We spoke to councillors about it and we decided to work together to get the post office open again.

"It's been 18 months of hard work but at last we're getting there.

"We've had support from Hull City Council and our local councillors and it's clear that people in the local area want their post office back."

Intervolve, based in Hull's Compass Road, is looking to reopen the post office in Beverley Road, opposite the Cross Keys pub.

Mr Morris said: "It wasn't possible to reopen the post office at the old location so we looked for the best nearest place we could find.

"There's a nice car park in Oak Road and lay-bys off Beverley Road, so hopefully it should be easy enough a location to get to."

Residents were left bitterly disappointed when plans to close the office were outlined in November 2010.

The post office closed on December 11, after the resignation of the branch's sub-postmaster and since then, residents in the area have been left without the service.

A spokesman for the post office said the building was also no longer available.

At the time, the organisation said it would like to reopen a branch in the area if they were able to find a new postmaster and premises.

Councillors Dave McCobb and Karen Mathieson have been working alongside Intervolve to get the service back.

Cllr McCobb is urging residents in the area to respond to the consultation and help get the wheels in motion to open the post office's doors once again.

He said: "So many post offices closed in Hull between 1997 and 2010 and it's nice to be able to play a part in trying to get one opened again."

A spokesman for the post office said: "Post Office Ltd has been looking for a way to restore services to customers in Welwyn Park since the previous sub-postmaster resigned and the premises were withdrawn for post office use.

"We are pleased to say that a new agent has been found, together with suitable premises, which are currently empty.

"A public consultation is underway but in order to restore a post office service to our customers as soon as possible, the new service may open before then."

Under the new proposals, the post office will also sell greetings cards and stationery.

To respond to the consultation, residents should email consultation@postoffice.co.uk or write to Freepost, PO Consultation.