Campaign calls for residents to buy sorting office

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Campaign calls for residents to buy sorting office in Cromwell Road to prevent development

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A CAMPAIGN has been launched by residents to buy the former Royal Mail sorting office in Cromwell Road to prevent it being used by developers for more housing.

Transition Town Whitstable (TTW), a community association that has already set up and run Stream Walk Community Garden and Whitstable Farmers Market, has taken the lead and is trying to register the building as a community asset under the Community Right to Bid legislation in the new Localism Act.

This would freeze any potential sale for six months, giving Whitstable residents and charities time to raise the money to buy the building, and Royal Mail has said it would consider the bid.

Canterbury City Council officers will be considering the proposal to register the building as a community asset in the coming weeks and TTW is calling on residents to contact their ward councillors to ask them to support the application.

Becky Richards of TTW said: "Whitstable is badly short of large buildings for any number of, or combination of, functions.

"We don't have many support services or charitable organisations in Whitstable, and the ones we do have are cramped for space to carry out services for mental health, families, learning difficulties, the elderly, and support for community organisations.

"The sorting office could fulfil all of these needs and council registration would be our only hope of keeping the building in the community, because Royal Mail has already accepted a very large offer from a private developer."

The office was used for sorting and delivering mail, and as a parcel pick-up point.

But, despite a large-scale community campaign to keep it open, the service has been transferred to Canterbury and the building was closed in April last year.

TTW is concerned the site will be bought by developers, because it is in a prime location and Whitstable's high property prices would mean a potentially large profit.

There have been more than ten developers involved in the bidding process so far.

Sally Hopkins, a Royal Mail spokesperson, said: “Royal Mail has been marketing its former Whitstable delivery office site since October 2014. We have had strong interest in the site and we are currently in talks with one particular party. We are also aware of local community interest in the site.”

Ms Richards said residents have responded quickly and in large numbers to the proposal, which would make the site the first registered community asset in Whitstable.

She said: "This building has been used for over 30 years by the people of Whitstable and we want to keep it this way, rather than a small number of people making a huge amount of money.

"A few more houses will not enhance our great community in any way."

Last Friday, Ms Richards arranged a viewing of the building for members of the public to "imagine the potential the huge space could have for a great community".

She said: "There was a great turnout, which is great because we want the building kept in the community to use for a wide range of possible community activities, social enterprises and much-needed resources, not for a small handful of people to make a lot of money from building a few houses."

If you would like to support the campaign or help towards buying the building, you can contact Ms Richards at beckyrichards555@ btinternet.com