1,500 homes but no need for a post box

[TrueBlueTerrier]

1,500 homes but no need for a post box, Royal Mail tells Costessey housing estate

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/1_5 ... _1_1942828" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Royal Mail said yesterday it would not build a single post box at a housing estate which is expected to grow to more than 2,000 homes - despite admitting five months ago the development needed a box.

Following complaints from people living on Queen’s Hills in Costessey about a lack of a post box in October last year, the Royal Mail said in January that the estate “did warrant” a post box and hoped to have one installed within 12 weeks.

But last Wednesday they changed their mind and said the estate, which has around 1,500 homes, no longer needed one as there was a post box around two miles away at Sainsbury’s in Longwater.

Costessey Parish councillor Gary Blundell whose wife, Sharon, brought up the issue with the Royal Mail said: “The post box at Sainsbury’s is more than two miles away from some parts of the estate and is often full.

“It is another amenity we don’t have here.”

At a meeting of Costessey Parish Council on Tuesday night, councillors expressed their anger at the Royal Mail’s decision.


Councillor Tim East described the lack of a post box as “ridiculous” and “ludicrous” and councillor John Denby said there should be multiple boxes at Queen’s Hills.

But the Royal Mail told Mrs Blundell they had changed their mind because the cost of buying and running a post box was “very considerable” and the number of letters posted was falling.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “The installation of any new or replacement post box involves a study of the proximity of other post boxes, customer usage and density of the local population.

“Whilst we apologise to those customers for any inconvenience, there are no plans to install a new post box in Queen’s Hills at this time.”

The parish council will now write to the Royal Mail questioning the decision.

[DGP1]

But nobody posts letters anymore

[glenfiddich]

But nobody posts letters anymore

“The post box at Sainsbury’s is more than two miles away from some parts of the estate and is often full

i wish they'd make their mind up

[DGP1]

But nobody posts letters anymore

“The post box at Sainsbury’s is more than two miles away from some parts of the estate and is often full

i wish they'd make their mind up

Stop bringing in those pesky facts, RM says mail is down and no matter that our frames are straining under the weight of them then it must be true

[UnhappyGremlin]

I'm pretty sure under rules of the regulator and/or USO there is a set limit as to how far away the nearest post box can be, and I believe it is somewhere in the region of between 500 and 800 yards or so. It does depend on how the area they live in is described/designated, but it does sound like, at worst, they would be 'Rest of UK'. They shouldn't write to RM, they should complain to the regulator. Which I think is now OFCOM.

[TeeferTiger]

"For postboxes, under Condition 3.2(a) Royal Mail must meet the requirement for 99% of all users i.e. delivery point addresses, to be within 500 metres of an access point in each postcode area where there is a delivery point density greater than 200 delivery points per km^2. "

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/post/1400.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[pie72]

This seems to be the norm I don,t think they would put one in if people were traveling 5 miles . They will not spend any money.

[PhilthyPhil]

We recently had a box put up in a hamlet of 3 houses because one person complained about there not being one. The previous box was removed two years ago because it was rusted to bits. Its an extra 8 miles on the collection route and never gets anything posted in it

[DGP1]

We recently had a box put up in a hamlet of 3 houses because one person complained about there not being one. The previous box was removed two years ago because it was rusted to bits. Its an extra 8 miles on the collection route and never gets anything posted in it

It should be emptied by the delivery postie.......or is that to logical

[PhilthyPhil]

We used to have some rural boxes with 9am finals which were done on delivery. They are all 4pm or later now so can't be done on delivery.