An Post get go- ahead for new mails sorting and distribution unit
Sligo County Council has granted planning permission to An Post for a new mails sorting and distribution unit at a yard at Camross, north of Ballymote which is adjacent to the Sligo to Dublin rail line.
It is planned that 20 to 30 postal staff will be based at the new single storey delivery services unit with ancillary offices, loading area to the side with canopy in an enclosed service yard.
In its submission seeking planning, architect Conor McBrien on behalf of JSA Architects for An Post said: “in preparation for full liberalisation of the postal market, An Post is currently implementing a business transformation strategy to improve efficiency and further develop the range and quality of mail services to business and residential customers.
“A facility must be located reasonably centrally in the geographical area that it services for economic and sustainable reasons in order to minimise journey times and the carbon footprint.”
Postal delivery services units are an essential part of the service infrastructure of the city and community and serve both business and domestic customers, stated the submission.
The new unit will be taking the central part of the existing yard of about 0.5 acre which is just off the R293, the road from Sligo into Ballymote. The yard is currently used for plant and machinery. Access will be through the existing entrance while an office on the site is to be demolished.
The new mails sorting and distribution unit will be set back in on the site which will allow for 29 staff parking spaces, four public ones and ten spaces for bikes to the front. Irish Rail had no objection to the development. An Post employs over 9,600 people through its national network of retail, processing and delivery points. It provides agency services for Government Departments, the National Treasury Management Agency, An Post National Lottery Company and other commercial bodies. Cllr Dara Mulvey has welcomed the new mail services and distribution depot.
“This is a welcome announcement for Ballymote and the south Sligo region as Ballymote is a growing town with excellent facilities, located between the N4 and N17 and fifteen mins from Sligo City,” stated Cllr Mulvey.