A NEW collection point for parcels could open at a former Post Office in Widnes in a bid to reduce the potential for accidents after plans were handed over to Halton Borough Council.
Proposals have been submitted on behalf of Royal Mail Group Property concerning the vacant building on Widnes Road.
The plans envisage relocating a current caller’s office which is accessed via the main service yard of the Royal Mail Delivery Office off Vicarage Road to a currently empty part of the facility, which was previously a Post Office.
A design and access statement drawn up as part of the application said that vehicles accessing the delivery office is currently only limited to staff and official visitors, with no parking for the public.
The document said that customers currently enter the site via a designated walkway off Vicarage Road through the Royal Mail service yard but claimed that a ‘high percentage’ of pedestrians ‘ignore’ the route and instead make shortcuts across the yard.
The statement said that Royal Mail vans use the service yard to park and manoeuvre, as well as load and unload.
It said that it means the area is ‘very busy’ and that there is ‘potential’ for incidents and accidents to occur affecting both the public and Royal Mail employees.
The document said: “To prevent the possibility of incidents and accidents, it has been agreed that the caller’s office is relocated away from its current location to a safer location. It is also noted that the existing caller’s office is too small and a larger facility would be beneficial.”
The plans propose modifying the current ‘redundant’ space to create a new customer collection area with signs also put up to identify the entrance.
The statement added: “The Royal Mail Delivery Office is in a key location for postal services in Widnes and the surrounding areas, and is an important subsidiary of the extensive Post Office network, providing customers with a parcel collection service.”