Herne Hill Forum

Letter sent 28th November by TJ to Post Office
Mr Martin Humphries
Royal Mail House
1st Floor, 148 Old Street
London EC1V 9HQ
Dear Mr Humphries,

Re: Closure of the Royal Mail Posting Office at Herne Hill

I note that you have previously answered questions from my office in relation to this matter and I thank you for assistance provided so far.

As you are aware, I have been contacted by my constituents, in particular the Herne Hill Society who are extremely concerned over the closure of this facility. They have also written to raise their concerns in a letter addressed to Ms Mandy Wombwell at Post Office Headquarters.

I am particularly concerned about the increased journey times for my constituents. Currently, the collection office is situated near other services in the Herne Hill centre making it easy to access. It is considerably more difficult to travel 2 miles to another facility which is far from the centre of Camberwell.

The Herne Hill Society has investigated this matter and such a change in arrangements would require my constituents to catch two buses to arrive at either Denmark Hill or Camberwell New Road, after which there is a five minute walk up to Camberwell Station Road which contains a large bus garage, vehicle repair shops and is generally unfriendly to pedestrians. I am very concerned that this would encourage car usage.

In addition to the matter of the length of the journey, difficulties could arise as the opening times are the same in the Camberwell facility as at Herne Hill. Herne Hill residents would have to travel a further distance, however, and this would limit the hours they can collect packages. This would be a considerable inconvenience to local groups who have PO boxes as well as individuals who want to collect undeliverable packages.

The current facility is located in the heart of the local community. This allows deliveries to be made entirely on foot to a wide area – a further environmental benefit that will be lost with a move to Camberwell.

Another concern is the possible loss of a building with significant local history. The pair of buildings (the Post Office and what is now Sainsbury’s) typify the Herne Hill area and make a valuable aesthetic contribution to the locality. There is, further, a strong sentimental bond with the local community, as this historic building has a war memorial within it.

I very much share the concerns of my constituents about the lack of public consultation. Rumour has been rampant about the closure of this resource and even after enquiries by the general public I had to enquire about the situation before a substantive response was received; to date there has been no public announcement.

I am greatly concerned that the loss of this valuable civic amenity would be to the detriment of the local community. I would like you to once again reconsider your decision in light of my representations, and those of the local community. At the very least I believe that the local people deserve to be consulted so that their understandable concerns can be properly aired.

I note that this issue was raised several years ago and the case was then accepted by Rpyal Mail for the retention of this facility. I would urge that a similar approach is taken on this occasion.

I look forward to hearing from you as a matter of urgency.

Yours Sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP


cc: Adam Crozier, Chief Executive, Royal Mail, 148 Old Street, London EC1V 9HQSheila Northover, Chair, Herne Hill Society,

# posted by paul : 5.12.06