Road 'won't hit post services'

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Fears that a new relief road for Hereford could have a damaging affect on the county’s postal services have been dismissed.

Royal Mail says the proposed route will not harm operations, despite cutting through land at the company’s Station Approach delivery office, close to Hereford Railway Station.

Concerns have been expressed following the company’s recent decision to close its Bromyard delivery office and move all its operations from there to Hereford.

Ward Councillor for Bromyard Alan Seldon said Royal Mail was withdrawing services in rural areas and concentrating operations in urban areas.

He said: “What they have done here is give all the postal workers in Bromyard a van each.

“They are driving off to Hereford every morning and bringing it back to Bromyard to deliver.

“If you’ve got 20 people driving into Hereford at the same time every morning they’ve got to go somewhere.

“If you take a big chunk out of the car park and turn it into a link road were are they going to go?”

Spokesman for Royal Mail Richard Hall said the route would impact upon the delivery office’s outside yard space.

But he added that provisions have been made to ensure that services are not affected by the route’s proximity to their current location.

He said: “The proposal is that we will acquire land adjacent to the other side of the building so we will remain were we are.

“Obviously we are keeping in contact with the local authority as plans develop.”

A spokesman for Herefordshire Council said the authority are not aware of any planning issues.

The spokesman said: “If the situation changes we are happy to talk to Royal Mail. At the moment we have no issues.”

Planning permission for the 850-metre road, which links Edgar Street to Commercial Road, was granted last March with work expected to be completed by 2013.