369 Lordship Lane Post Office Moving

[James Barber]

The Post Office at 369 Lordship Lane is proposed to move to 394-395 Lordship Lane during May/June 2015

A 6 week consultation will start shortly - comments to [email protected] - before 24 March 2015. Ideally any comments to post office please copy me.

The new post office will be open for business 7am-11pm MOn-Sat & Sun 8am-11pm vs current 9am-17.30 MOn-Fri, Sat 9am-1pm & Sun closed.

The new Post Office won't be able to do Transcash without barcode, NS&I Premium Savings Bonds, On demand travel insurance, payment by cheque.

My feedback will be great to move from 46 1/2 hours of opening each week to 111 hours of opening. Would like to know why the 4 services can;t be provided - I'll try and find out how much each represents to East Dulwich residents.

PLEASE DO RESPOND TO THE CONSULTATION

EDITED to add Post Office attachment.

[steveo]

I can't figure out where that is James. The even number 394 is on the other side of the road

[Bic Basher]

Costcutter is on the same side of the road further up by the Dulwich Library bus stop. It's on the row of shops which include Val's Grocers and Red Apple Newsagents.

I'm dubious to how they'll be able to keep the post office open after 5.30pm on weekdays and the proposed Saturday and Sunday times without extra staff provision or the franchisee training up Costcutter staff to do the job which is currently managed by one person.

WHSmith which has a PO franchise in Forest Hill closes at 5.30pm Mon-Sat.

[James Barber]

Yes, it would be moving to the Costcutter.

[bawdy-nan]

I dint think they do those services at the mo. brilliant to hear it isn't closing and the extended times.

[Bic Basher]

According to the consultation paper, it'll only have one PO booth, which matches the existing service at 369. (They have two booths, but haven't seen two on the counter since the days of the former postmistress who ran it until 2014).

[computedshorty]

The Post Office has changed shops many times, the first I remember was when it was at number eight Woodward Road next to the alley that led behind the shops to Lordship Lane, the shop is now known as Pickwick Estates.

It moved after the Bombing to opposiite the Library in Lordship Lane.

[Bic Basher]

computedshorty Wrote:

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

> The Post Office has changed shops many times, the

> first I remember was when it was at number eight

> Woodward Road next to the alley that led behind

> the shops to Lordship Lane, the shop is now known

> as Pickwick Estates.

> It moved after the Bombing to opposiite the

> Library in Lordship Lane.

It was also in one of the shops across the road from it's current site as well before moving into the current premises, I think in the mid 90s.

[Burbage]

Bic Basher Wrote:

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

> I'm dubious to how they'll be able to keep the

> post office open after 5.30pm on weekdays and the

> proposed Saturday and Sunday times without extra

> staff provision or the franchisee training up

> Costcutter staff to do the job which is currently

> managed by one person.

It'll only be a post office in the sense that it'll have some scales and be able to take some sorts of parcel. It'll probably be just a box on a counter, like the yellow bill-paying things, and so will be as open as the shop is. It might, perhaps, be a self-service Post'n'Go kiosk, but that might be a hope too far.

Once you've taken most of the handling of cash, cheques, documents, forms and leaflets out of the equation, there's not a lot left for a post office to do. If you then cut the range of stamps down to two, print the rest on demand, and rule out awkward parcels, it can almost run itself, with no need for extra staff or, for that matter, much training.

In reality, it's a smoke-and-mirrors way of announcing another closure, from a very similar playbook to the newly-privatised Royal Mail's cunning wheeze of revising the 'latest posting time' on pillar boxes to 9am (7am in some cases); a stunt that effectively gives it another sluggardly day to hang on to your letter before it's deemed to have breached its target. Sure, it'll be called a Post Office. But it won't be a Post Office as we know it.

It looks innocuous enough, though, and as Councillor Barber seems pleased, I guess it's a wheeze that has worked.

[James Barber]

Hi Burbage,

Not sure it's a wheeze. But for 99.99% of the current services provided will be available but for 111 hours each week rather than 46.5.

I've visited another example of this on Southwark Bridge Road and it is clearly more involved and provides much more than you're suggesting.

Either way I;d encourage people to respond to the consultation.

[Bic Basher]

I went into 369 LL today to renew my Bus and Tram Photocard and yet again, the guy who works there on a Saturday had no idea what to do. He told me to go to the main PO instead!

They might as well close it.

[apbremer]

We queried with a postman why the old convenient system of listing all letter collection times during the day on the letterbox had been dropped to just one time usually 6pm, useless if you have something urgent for an early collection. He told us that the Brussels eurocrats had banned the this as unfair competition! Explain that! Can they never stop interfering?

[Henry_17]

CPS,

When was the bombing you refer to? The war or a different incident?

[Vik]

Apbremer:

Pretty sure it was a cost cutting exercise by Royal Mail, same as cutting second class post.

[Michael Palaeologus]

I am a little suspicious at the reaction of our elected representative.

This is clearly the shutting of a Post Office and the decanting of some services into a supermarket that is not in the commercial centre of ED.

It is being pitched as an enhancement. Which it isn't.

So, what gives? Who is moving into the PO site?

[computedshorty]

Damage by Doodle Bug.

SE22

Dulwich/Camberwell

V1 Flying bomb

East Dulwich

Between Lordship Lane, Court Lane and Eynella Road

None killed

injured 14 people

13/07/1944

17:22 afternoon

The V1 fell in the area behind Dulwich Library at the junction of Lordship Lane and Woodwarde Road. It injured 14 people and demolished part of a church and the priest?s house in Lordship Lane. . 9 shops and 40 houses suffered severe damage in Lordship lane and 50 houses badly damaged in Court Lane. The damaged/rebuilt area can clearly

I lived nearby in Lordship Lane.

[buggie]

Michael Palaeologus Wrote:

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

> I am a little suspicious at the reaction of our

> elected representative.

>

> This is clearly the shutting of a Post Office and

> the decanting of some services into a supermarket

> that is not in the commercial centre of ED.

>

> It is being pitched as an enhancement. Which it

> isn't.

>

> So, what gives? Who is moving into the PO site?

It's not the main PO that's moving, it's the one that's by Sainsburys local that's moving up to the next parade of shops opp the library. Does that explain the perceived apathy?

[Henry_17]

CPS,

Thank you. How stunning and fortunate that no one was killed.

[Bic Basher]

It's worth remembering that sub post offices aren't directly operated by the Post Office. What has happened I believe is that Costcutter wish to buy the franchise from 369 as they believe it'll increase the footfall in their shop.

Unlike 'directly managed' branches, like 76 LL, the staff who work in them work for the sub PO business, which is normally where the PO is situated, rather than Post Office Ltd. So from May/June, the postmaster will be paid by the Costcutter franchisee. Sub post offices receive a lump sum payment towards the PO and commission from PO Ltd.

[computedshorty]

At that time two brick built Air Raid Sheltes were in the Library Gardens, one by the Trafic Lights and one in the corner by by the first house in Eyenella Road, here my younger sister a twin aged six was playing picking Daisies when the Doodle bug flew over, those in shelter dragged her into the shelter, she remembers it exploding and coming out saw hymn books on the grass, why had my sister roamed so far? During this time there were very few cars just the trams and buses, a near miss for her but she had closer ones later. She now lives in Eastbourne aged 77 her twin has now died.

[azrajivraj]

The current postmaster is retiring due to ill health so most likely if the post office doesn't relocate it will be closing down which would be worse for us. iv visited the newer post offices and think they are just as good. Also, will be nice to go into a shop and be able to pick up any bits and bobs I have forgotten as opposed to going into an empty shop as it is now

[Bic Basher]

369 Lordship Lane PO is closing on Monday 14th September.

It moves to Costcutter, 393-395 Lordship Lane, opposite St Thomas More RC Church on Tuesday 15th September.