Post Office close to securing Twickenham site

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Residents have moved a step closer to having a permanent post office in Twickenham after three potential sites were lined up.

The post office is currently housed in a temporary building in London Road’s sorting office car park after moving from its King Street home almost two months ago.

But a Post Office spokesman confirmed this week the hunt was almost over for a new permanent location for the facility.

He said: “We have now appointed an agent to run Twickenham post office and he is close to securing premises to operate from.

“Once this has been confirmed, we will enter into a period of local consultation which will enable us to fully inform customers of our plans and to seek their comments on the proposal."

However, he revealed the consultation period would last for at least six weeks with further time needed for the feedback to be assessed, meaning customers will have to continue travelling out of Twickenham high street to the old sorting office site for a few more months.

Twickenham MP Vince Cable met with senior bosses from the Post Office and Royal Mail at the end of last month to discuss the progress being made in finding a permanent new home for the company.

He said he hoped a “successful outcome” was not too far away.

He said: “Following the meeting I now feel confident that the Post Office is taking the search for new permanent home seriously.

“I have been reassured that they have an agent working to secure new premises and have three potential sites lined up.

“I was shown all three options and they are in a good location in the centre of Twickenham and close to public transport.“ Residents were told the post office would be vacating from its former site in King Street, Twickenham, at the end of March to be housed in temporary accommodation until a permanent home could be found.

The new site was criticised for being inconvenient and impractical for elderly people to travel to, a view supported by Dr Cable at the time, who claimed the situation was “far from ideal”.