Village post office could open doors again
A vital Perthshire village post office branch could be set to reopen following a near five-month search for a new postmaster.
The Post Office has not revealed the identity of a current applicant looking to take over the Invergowrie Post Office but confirmed it is“progressing”an application.
The Invergowrie branch shut its doors on October 17 last year after the search for a new operator proved fruitless, drawing to an end months of uncertainty.
The opening hours were originally reduced in July 2019 following the resignation of the previous postmaster.
In August the then postmaster revealed the cost of the post office upkeep would mean requiring another member of full-time trained salaried staff, estimated at a cost of around £10,000 per year, which they said was not financially“feasible”.
The ensuing closure announcement came as a huge blow to locals, with the Main Street branch being offered to the community for a number of months in an effort keep the service running.
Louise McKenzie, chair of Invergowrie and Kingoodie Community group, called the closure “very sad”news for the village and it “has always been a huge part of our community”.
But now the fortunes of the outlet could be set to turn around if the current application is successful.
A Post Office spokesperson said:“We advertised the vacancy for Invergowrie and we are progressing an application.
“At this stage we are not releasing further details. We are committed to restoring a post office to Invergowrie.
“We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure and we want to reassure the community that we are doing all we can to restore services as soon as possible.
“In the interim alternative branches include Glamis Road and Charleston.”