Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick contacted Royal mail for an urgent update on the moves to find a new location for a Post Office branch in central Lochee and was informed that a new sub-postmaster has been appointed in a new High Street premises – the Dreams Bed Superstore – but these have to be fitted out which will take approximately 4-6 weeks.”
Joe FitzPatrick said: “I was delighted to be informed of the appointment and the new location for the new branch in Lochee.”
The MSP had been informed by Royal Mail in early September that they were negotiating with applicants to provide a location for the new branch. The existing branch will be forced to move in early February when Tesco in the Stack Leisure Park closes.
Joe FitzPatrick said: “The local councillors in Lochee, Bob Duncan and Alan Ross contacted me with their concerns that the timescale is running out for the new branch to be up and running before Tesco closes.
“There is now only a matter of weeks before that happens and we still had only rumours of where the new branch PO is to be. I asked Royal Mail for an urgent update of the situation.
“I also discussed with them how they will deal with a gap in service in Lochee if the new branch is not ready in time. Would they, for instance, provide a mobile service, or be able to continue to use the existing branch in Tesco even after the supermarket has closed?
“I have been assured that Royal Mail Group are in discussion on the situation with Tesco and are hopeful that there will be no service provision gap. It might be that Tesco itself may be remaining open after its provisional closing date or that the Post Office may be able to continue to use the premises after the supermarket has closed. Either way, I hope to have an update on the outcome of these discussions in the near future.”
Councillor Jim Barrie added: “With the closure of the Lochee Road Post office, post office users have had to travel further to get to a local PO and more people are using the branch in Tesco than before.
“It is therefore vital that there should be no gaps in service. Although there was never any danger of losing the Post Office in central Lochee, we must do everything we can to impress on Royal Mail the need to keep the service going until the new Post Office branch in Lochee High Street is established.”
