Sorting office to close

[singalto]

My postman said they are moving to Peckham...

[Bic Basher]

A massive shame. I live closer to Forest Hill sorting office than Peckham and I don't relish getting either the 197, 363 or changing at Dulwich Library for the 12 just to pick up an oversized parcel.

[Strawbs]

Just had the postman at my door and he said they are definitely moving down to Peckham, he seemed very unhappy about it.

[nxjen]

http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/east-dulwich-delivery-office-move-peckham/

Royal Mail reported to be in consultation with union. Article says it is closing because volume of parcels is too high for them to deal with. Seems crazy to close the sorting office because it is too successful: would it not make more sense to make the area covered by the East Dulwich office smaller?

[JRK]

Is there a petition or anything that we can start/sign to try and prevent this from happening? I can't understand how a closure of a sorting office can help with a large volume of parcels! Surely they can just change a few post codes to the Peckham one instead and take the pressure off Silvester road.

It's such a beautiful building too and would be a crime to see it turned into flats.

[DovertheRoad]

This is a disaster. This facility is always busy which indicates local demand. It's a reason to invest in it not shut it down!

[KidKruger]

How many dozens of people per day are now going to have to drive / bus to Peckham now ?

I'm just around the corner so have only ever known a sorting office 90secs away.

[jimbo1964]

It's a real shame. I would say now more than ever with so much stuff being bought online that a local sorting office is an essential service. It makes me very sad.

[MDMDPD]

nxjen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/east-dulwich-d

> elivery-office-move-peckham/

>

> Royal Mail reported to be in consultation with

> union. Article says it is closing because volume

> of parcels is too high for them to deal with.

> Seems crazy to close the sorting office because it

> is too successful: would it not make more sense

> to make the area covered by the East Dulwich

> office smaller?

This logic also seems to apply to the train services

[redjam]

If it's true it's an infuriating decision - what is a simple five-minute walk to pick up a parcel is going to become up to an hour-long round trip to Peckham, by the time you factor in waiting for buses. I've emailed James Barber and would suggest everyone who feels strongly about it does likewise.

[Zebedee Tring]

I'm waiting for news that Sainsbury's in Dog Kennel Hill is closing because it can't cope with a 20% increase in business during the last year. This would be just as illogical.

[ianr]

> Surely they can just change a few post codes to the Peckham one instead and take the pressure off Silvester road.

You mean pass the handling of those SE22 Postcodes to the SE15 office? I don't know how flexible their systems are.

Another alternative _might_ be to let Peckham handle incoming parcels for van delivery to SE22, and let the ED office handle the rest, including customer collections. Again there, I don't know how amenable their current systems are to something like that.

Do we have any Royal Mail Group shareholders here willing to take the whole matter up with their company, and get more information? Their Corporate Responsibility Policy does include a commitment to "Delivering economic and social benefit to the communities we serve". http://www.royalmailgroup.com/responsibility/policies

PS: Do a Google search on "closing mail delivery office" and you'll see there's quite a lot of it about.

Among the hits is a government response to a petition about one proposed closure: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-11-07/debates/16110767000044/RoyalMailDeliveryOfficeInMarple. Note the final paragraph: "The House may also be interested to know that there are existing arrangements, available as standard across the country, which provide delivery or redelivery for many items free, or at low cost, to a nearby Post Office branch, at the request of the recipient."

The Royal Mail say at http://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redelivery that they offer redelivery, arranegable online, of personal mail (and business provisions seem similar):

"free to your own address

free to another address in your postcode area [but not including items to be signed for]

or for a small fee - to your local Post Office? branch."

What's the current average queue length at the LL PO?

[Sue]

ianr Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What's the current average queue length at the LL

> PO?

Don't know the average, but it hasn't been too bad when I've been there lately.

Whereas I've recently sometimes had to wait a long time at the sorting office.

But I realise my limited personal experience has no statistical validity whatsoever :))

[Bic Basher]

Surely the SE22 postcode mail could be split between the Dulwich Delivery Office in Alleyn Park which is closer to some SE22 postcodes and Highshore Road for those who down the Goose Green end of ED?