Residents living in Wishaw’s Craigneuk area being urged to have their say on retaining their Post Office in its current location or moving it elsewhere.
A local public consultation on the relocation of the branch is underway, but Councillor Kenneth Duffy has written to PO management calling for a meeting on its future.
He insists that the groundswell of local feeling in the area is that the current location would remain most people’s preference.
The proposal is to move the branch from its current site at Craigneuk Street to the Costcutter convenience store in Glencairn Avenue, around a third of a mile away.
The PO say the Costcutter option would provide a seven days-a-week service with opening hours of; Monday to Saturday: 9am to 7pm; and Sunday: 9am to 5pm.
The extended opening hours would include all-day Sunday and Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. The branch would also stay open later every day.
This amounts to a total of 68 hours of service a week, an additional 26 hours, and they add that a wide range of services will be available if the relocation gets the go-ahead.
The PO claim that all of these changes would make it far more convenient to visit than the current branch.
The new local style branch would have PO services provided from a counter alongside the retail counter of the shop.
The move is proposed as part of ongoing plans to modernise the PO network.
Representative for Craigneuk, Councillor Duffy said: “I urge everyone in the community to have their say on the proposed relocation, it’s clear the feeling in the area is where the current store is remains the best option and I hope they listen to those voices.”
A number of local residents have voiced concerns over the internal size of the proposed new branch, claiming it isn't big enough.
The consultation asks a number of questions relating to the ease or difficulty of getting to and into the proposed new branch.
The PO's accompanying relocation proposal letter states: We’re proposing this move as part of the ongoing modernisation of our branch network.
We are confident that introducing a local style branch alongside a successful retail store is the most effective way to safeguard sustainable PO services in the local community into the future.
“We are now starting a period of local consultation.
"We would like your views on access and the service offered at the new location. We are looking for feedback about accessibility, local community issues and anything that we can do to make life easier for our customers.”
Customers can share their views during the consultation online with the branch code 108855.
Submissions can also be made via email to comments@postoffice.co.uk, by post to Freepost YOUR COMMENTS, or by telephone 03452 66 01 15 or Textphone 03457 22 33 55.
The public consultation ends on April 22 and the proposed date for the change of location in May.
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