Impending closure of Post Office divides opinion

Residents are divided over plans to close the only Post Office in Crawley town centre.

The facility in the County Mall is expected to shut early next year in line with the TJ Jones store on the same site, which the retailer said would close on 17 February.

A spokesperson for the Post Office said they hoped to open a new branch "as soon as possible", although this could take "around six months".

Beverley Friend said she was "not happy" about the closure because there weren't many post offices in the area, while Olivia Colcheita said she had not used the post office in four years.

Sue Devlin thought the closure would particularly affect older people who had been "using the post offices all their lives".

Colcheita agreed the closure would particularly affect a "specific generation" and said the "personal interaction" element would be lost, despite rarely using it herself.

Teenager Joseph Wheatley said he used the Post Office for sending items to his grandparents in Norfolk.

He said closures were "pointless", arguing that "a lot of people are using them [Post Offices], a lot of people need them".

Comparing this with bank closures across Sussex, Devlin said "we need something reliable".

Crawley MP Peter Lamb told the BBC the Post Office had been at risk since it was relocated into what was then the WH Smith building, a move he "campaigned against at the time".

He added: "I have been in contact with the Post Office about the relocation of the counter service in advance of the store's closure in February, ensuring there is no break in service for Crown Post Office services."

The Post Office spokesperson added: "The vacancy has already been advertised, and we have heard from interested retailers.

"We are now looking more closely at the expressions of interest. We want to open a replacement branch as soon as possible, but this can take around six months.

"In the interim, alternative branches will be North Road and Southgate."

The closure of TJ Jones comes after the High Court approved its restructuring plan in July.

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