Five borough post offices to be axed

10:57am Tuesday 13th May 2008

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FIVE of the borough's post offices are to close.

Post Office Ltd ran a consultation into the future of post offices across London.

Of the 169 post offices across London earmarked for closure, 155 will be axed.

Those set to close in the Bromley borough are in Carlton Parade and Crofton Lane in Orpington, Rushmore Hill in Pratts Bottom, Albemarle Road in Beckenham and Walden Road in Chislehurst.

Orpington MP John Horam has been campaigning for his constituency's post offices to remain open.

He said: "I am particularly concerned about Pratts Bottom, which will be without any kind of post office and customers will have to go all the way to Windsor Drive, in Orpington, which is a long way for elderly people with no car.

"Also, closing Crofton Parade will mean extra traffic for the Orpington High Street post office, which already has long queues."

During the six-week consultation period, Post Office Ltd received 27,600 responses from across London.

Post Office Ltd network development manager for London Anita Turner said: "These are difficult decisions which have not been taken lightly.

"We have considered very carefully all the comments made during the public consultation.

"We believe the amended plan offers our customers in London the best prospect for a sustainable network in the future."

The Albemarle Road branch is the busiest of the five, attracting between 1,000 and 1,500 customers per week.

Pratts Bottom Post Office is used by fewer than 200 people each week, but is 1.6 miles away from its nearest branch, in Windsor Drive, Orpington. This is further than customers of the other four post offices set to close will have to travel to get to the nearest branch.

Mr Horam added: "It was a difficult consultation as the Post Office made clear if one was reprieved another would have to go, which made it difficult, but I thought the cases made by Crofton Parade and Pratts Bottom were good ones.

"We are looking collectively to see if there's any way forward, but the Post Office is in charge. If it doesn't accept the strong case put forward we are in difficulty."

Post Office Ltd plans to close 2,500 branches nationwide because many of its services are now available through other means.

Closures will take place over the next three months.