Petition calls for return of a post office
CAMPAIGN IS LAUNCHED FOR BRANCH NEAR TO NEW LIDL
A CAMPAIGN has been launched by Labour councillors to bring a Post Office to a new supermarket site.
The Lidl supermarket in Trowell Road, Wollaton, replaced the former Waitrose and opened for the first time on December 10 last year.
Alongside the new store, tenants for four units were confirmed including a newsagent, hairdressers, charity shop and carpet shop.
The Waitrose and its predecessor, Co-op, both had Post Office services instore and it was hoped this would continue with the new Lidl or within one of the new units.
However, this has not happened, leading to complaints from regular shoppers.
Labour councillor for Wollaton West, Steve Battlemuch, said: “The Post Office integrated into the Waitrose shop was run by Waitrose staff.
“When Lidl bought the land to take over, we had an early meeting with them where we asked for the Post Office and cafe to be factored in on the site. Obviously, this would not have been in-store but within the units built around the site.”
He added: “Since the newsagents has opened, there is no Post Office there.
“It could be that one is being planned for somewhere else, but that is not ideal for the shoppers, especially as there is ample parking there.
“We have launched the petition calling on the Post Office to get their act together either in the newsagents or in another unit on the site.
“Wollaton as a whole is largely residential and the closest alternative Post Office sites are Bramcote Lane or the ring road, but these get overcrowded.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for one at the Lidl.”
The petition has reached nearly 150 signatures.
Mathematics tutor Peter Barnes, 68, agreed there needed to be a Post
Office.
He said: “They also need to address the problem of having no post boxes in the area.
“The Bramcote Lane Post Office is the nearest one but it only has one queue and it’s narrow inside and obviously the one in Beeston is in the top floor of WH Smiths.
“When there was a Post Office here, there were three counters.
“This one was close for people in Wollaton and for many people now it’s a pain having to go further.
“It used to be in Wollaton village before it was moved to the Co-op supermarket, which then became Waitrose and it was great.”
Linda Sowden, 67, of Wollaton, said: “I think it’s important to have a Post Office here. It’s quite a built up area and when it was here at the Waitrose, they were brilliant.
“Most people living around here can’t get down to Bramcote Lane.
“When I saw there was going to be a card shop, I thought it would be in there.”
A local resident who wished to remain anonymous said: “Having a Post Office here was just handy for everything - insurance, holiday bits.
“I mostly used that one and now it’s a bit of a distance to the next closest one.
“Everyone needs a Post Office in their area.”
The owner of the card shop explained he had intended for the space to have a Post Office within it.
But he said he was told it would have to be self-funded to proceed with the application.
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We recognise how important Post Office services are to a local community. “We are committed to returning these services at a location as close as possible to where the previous Post Office operated. We are in discussions with a potential operator and hope to provide more information to local residents in the coming weeks.”
We are committed to returning these services at a location as close as possible to the previous Post Office Post Office spokesperson