Much to the dismay of local residents and Richmond Council, Royal Mail has made the contentious decision to close Hampton Sorting Office located on Rosehill, Hampton and moved operations to an existing site in Ashford. The choice to close the office was met with outrage by locals in the knowledge that they would be forced to travel some distance to collect any post.
The Hampton Office had served the area since 1960 and provided jobs for many of the local population and these people will now have to commute far further than before in order to keep their job and income.
Announced in mid-2018, the move was finally completed at the end of last month with Royal Mail reportedly hoping to sell the old site for luxury housing. Meanwhile, residents reported a brief hiatus in the delivery of post in the initial days of the move. One Hampton local stated “I think it is terrible that the Sorting Office has been moved and we now have to trek nearly five miles to Ashford to collect our post. Most people work during the week and this is a huge inconvenience that we will have to accommodate into our evenings or weekend.”
Although there is a direct transport link between Hampton and Ashford via the 216 bus, for the elderly and disabled residents of Hampton it remains an arduous journey in uncomfortable public transport conditions. Royal Mail are offering alternative delivery days or the option to name a different address in the event of a failed delivery as a solution to the reolcation. It remains to be seen if this attempt to appease local residents will prove successful.