Save our Post Office

To any casual observer the Letchworth central Post Office would seem to be a popular and heavily utilised resource in the town. I frequently have to wait in queues of between 30 and 40 customers. However, the Royal Mail Group claims that this office is making a loss! How can that be?

PETER BYSOUTH

* The Post Office in The Broadway is in a very convenient situation, especially with regard to the bus stop and to the availability of parking. To relocate it to the bottom of Station Road is laughable. It is downhill, for a start - us old biddies might totter down, but getting back up is a challenge.

GRAHAM CHEANEY, Greenway, Letchworth Garden City

* Most days there are queues at this big Post Office especially on pension day. Moving it to the small shop as proposed will be stupid as a bunch of four people will contravene the Health and Safety Act. The developers will make a fortune, which is the real objective.

BRIAN COLLINS, A Letchworth resident

* You cannot get a wheelchair into the small shop in Station Road. To me you have not given the pensioners any thought. A lot of us get off the bus outside the Post Office, go and get our pension, go across to Morrison's and get the bus home.

VERONICA GRAHAM, Dunlin, Letchworth Garden City

* I understand from staff that this is a done deal and that the Post Office building has been sold and they have been offered other jobs or voluntary redundancy.

They know that we have no alternative to the postal service they provide but if and when an alternative happens, people will have no loyalty because of inconsiderate moves like this.

There must be a better alternative and they should make every effort to find it.

DEBRA HOLMES

* Think laterally, why after all these years does the Post Office suddenly wish to close Letchworth Broadway Post Office? Because the Post Office Board believes that the Heritage Foundation proposals to redevelop the Arena Area will take effect. I strongly suspect that being originally Crown Property (look at the logo above the letters GPO) the site is freehold and accordingly worth a bomb. Although not included in the original proposals how could the Heritage Foundation resist the opportunity to acquire the site including the yard behind it to enable it to redevelop the whole of the east side of Broadway including the former Estate Office?

JOHN D RITCHIE, Broadway, Letchworth Garden City

* No, No, No moving our Post Office.

IRENE and ALAN MAYNARD

* The idea of Letchworth Post Office being moved to a small retailer is absurd, other than as an additional outpost to the central office, which might benefit from some relief from the high volumes it currently handles.

I smell central politics here.

PHIL SHAKESHAFT, Haymoor, Letchworth Garden City

* I organise Meeting Point, a weekly social group which draws its membership from across the town. We recently discussed the relocation of the Post Office and the unanimous feeling of the meeting was that the proposed move would cause inconvenience and in some cases hardship for most of our members.

There is insufficient parking for those who have to come into the centre of town by car, especially as the area around Openshaw Way is due for redevelopment.

BRIAN SOUTHWELL, Letchworth Garden City

* The proposed closure of the main Post Office in Letchworth is nothing short of appalling. It demonstrates a total lack of regard for taste, history, heritage, architects and public will. That the office, as it stands, was unsuitable to meet all the current demands, there is no doubt. For this reason, the excellent facility was built in the industrial area off Avenue One. This led the short sighted management to consider the old Post Office redundant.

The building is a handsome example of the contemporary style then built, with its finely carved lettering in stone and beautifully proportioned windows. Indeed, it should be served with a preservation order.

There is no reason why the surplus space could not be converted into flats either for the elderly, first time buyers or even the wealthy! This has been done successfully to the George and Dragon public house in Baldock.

RONALD UNGER CBE, Retired Director of a major service enterprise, Hitchin Street, Baldock

* The current size and the location of the Post Office in the Broadway is perfect.

The main reason the Royal Mail has given is the financial loss. I suggest a detailed analysis is carried out to find out exactly where the losses are and a plan put into place to reduce these losses.

JAN and JIM DAKIN, West View, Letchworth Garden City

* We do not want longer opening hours, we want a post office that is easy to get to, with an efficient service - we want the Post Office to stay where it is.

TOM and ALISON ANDERSON, Meadow Way, Letchworth