Council Seeks Putney Post Office Promise

As building owners plan to redevelop the site

Councillors have asked Post Office bosses to spell out plans for the future of counter services in Putney town centre if their current premises are redeveloped.

The branch at 214 Upper Richmond Road is the only remaining post office in central Putney. The building's owners now want to redevelop the site.

If the scheme went ahead, the post office, which occupies the ground floor, would have to find a new home.

Post Office managing director Alan Cook has confirmed that whether any move is temporary or permanent, services would continue to be provided in the town centre.

Deputy council leader Maurice Heaster has now written to Mr Cook asking for details of the Post Office's long term plans:

“If the current branch has to move it would be an opportunity to provide Putney with the kind of modern facility that it has lacked for years. Either this can be provided in new accommodation at the existing site or in another town centre location. What we don't want is for such an important service to be shoe-horned into a temporary home only to find that is stuck there without any prospect of securing better accommodation in the future.

“Putney has been badly hit by the national closure programme. We've already lost popular local branches at Putney Bridge Road and Lower Richmond Road . This is an opportunity for the Post Office to demonstrate its commitment to Putney by setting out a blueprint for a modern town centre facility that can meet the expectations of local people.”

The borough has lost half its branch network since 2003 as part of the national programme of closures. Across London more than 450 post offices have shut for good  in this period.

January 28, 2010