Team Valley Royal Mail site expansion starts

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MAJOR work to extend a Royal Mail processing centre has started. The first spade of earth was turned yesterday to signal the start of work on the extension at Tyneside Mail Centre, Team Valley, Gateshead.

The extension is part of a £71m investment to modernise Royal Mail operations in the North East to tackle falling mail volume.

Work is expected to last 12 months and when fully operational the enlarged centre will employ around 800 members of staff and will handle work from the sorting offices in Middlesbrough and Darlington which are set to close.

Royal Mail is currently in discussions with staff at those centres about their future options, one of which includes transferring to the Gateshead centre, which will deal with mail for NE, SR, DH, DL and TS postcode areas.

Gateshead Mayor Joe Mitchinson joined senior Royal Mail representatives at the ground-breaking ceremony at the site on Earlsway. The centre will also house the latest automation and double-deck vehicles which increase capacity and lead to reduced road runs, fuel use and emissions.

Royal Mail’s North East regional director, Alison Wright, said: “We are extremely excited by the official start of the work on the extension at Tyneside Mail Centre.

“It shows that we, as a business, are investing in the North East and this will benefit both customers and staff alike.




“However, the way in which we communicate with each other has changed dramatically.

“Fewer letters are now posted every day and Royal Mail needs to modernise to be as efficient as possible.” Ms Wright said the new extension to Tyneside Mail Centre will enable the company to modernise operations in the region and it will house the latest machines for sorting mail.

She added: “This is in addition to the investment we have already undertaken in our delivery operations.

“This includes the introduction of more handheld tracking devices and a range of new delivery equipment better suited to the mix of mail we are now delivering to customers, which includes more packets and parcels.

“Such modernisation is vital for meeting customer needs and safeguarding the future of Royal Mail as a business.”

The new equipment also reduces the risk of injury to postmen and women from carrying heavier mailbags.

The number of letters Royal Mail handles has declined significantly.

There are 13 million fewer letters delivered every day compared to five years ago.

This year, Royal Mail delivered 62 million items of mail a day, a decline of more than 20% with volumes continuing to fall.