Halifax - Former museum is ideal spot for Parcel Office

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Further to the article titled “Parcel Office needs a good sort out or else move it”. Why not move it into the former Working Horse Museum on South Parade?

As it is clear that the Eureka Children’s Museum want to see the building demolished, which is what they did with the adjacent building only a few years ago.

By doing so this would finally give the former Working Horse Museum a purpose, one which it hasn’t had for over twenty years.

This would also increase its chances of being maintained, something which the Eureka Children’s Museum are incapable of doing. Despite a perfectly good lease agreement with a clear requirement to maintain all buildings upon the premises in “good and substantial repair and maintenance”.

This would also allow Royal Mail to have a “fit for purpose” sorting office for the 21st Century, with adequate car parking and customer first facilities.

By relocating to South Parade this will also allow Metro to finally improve and realign the bus station with Winding Road, which is one of their key priorities from what I gather.

So all the Council has to do is to reclaim the former Working Horse Museum, draw up a new lease with Eureka excluding the Working Horse Museum site. Restore the building to the condition which it should have been in, if the Eureka Children’s Museum actually maintained the building according to the lease agreement and charge Eureka for the privilege of doing so

All of which is perfectly possible according to the lease agreement.

Although Royal Mail might be reluctant to move into a building with higher maintenance costs.

All what is needed is for a pot of money to be placed into a Bank account and then to leave Royal Mail to maintain the building off the interest. Some of this money could come from Metro in exchange for the land. So how about it?

Michael Bradley

[TrueBlueTerrier]

The mentioned article posted in full

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Having read the comments of Mr Lister-Steele in Tuesday’s Your Say, I felt it required some comment.

I too have been subject to lengthy waiting times at the parcels collection counter, having first attempted to find a parking space. The last time I went to use the Parcels Collection facility the parking bay provided was full of cars, one even had its hazard warning lights flashing to cheer us all up.

On entering the building I too was faced with a queue nearly to the door of customers collecting items; each waving the red cards that had kindly been left by their postman. At least two, on reaching the counter, were asked for their proof of ID, as stipulated on the red card. “What proof of ID?” they asked, and were politely shown “what ID”, and just as politely refused their parcel.

A young lady waiting at the counter was asked “Is that your car parked below the disabled bays?”. Her affirmation was met by “Well there’s a traffic warden giving you a ticket!!!”. Her answer is unprintable, but understandable, because as she went out the car with the flashing lights was about to drive away - the occupant hadn’t been waiting to collect a parcel at all, just a friend, and had decided to use the near-empty Post Office bay for convenience. The wrong person was being issued with a parking ticket.

There are two or three relevant points here. One, only people collecting parcels from Gaol lane should be using the parking bay provided, not abusing it. Two, the queues would move more quickly, or be non-existent, if customers read the red card and did as was asked, by taking ID rather arguing to persuade the PO staff to let them have their packets. Three, rather than giving the Royal Mail Parcels Collection Office a red card for the queues being their fault they need complementing for their patience with some customers. Royal Mail Ltd may be looking into making the counter larger, as the number of parcels for delivery is increasing meaning a greater chance of some being undelivered when customers are out.

However, I must agree that, from experience, I know the room where Returned parcels are kept is not logically arranged or large enough, especially at peak times like Christmas. So perhaps Mr Lister-Steele may have some sort of point. Perhaps, the Delivery Office could do with a move to larger purpose built premises - there must be space down at Lowfields in Elland!!

L Forester

Greetland