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Main Post Office branch to close in November

Martin EvansBristol
News imageBBC A blue headed shop front with white doors in a shopping centre. There's a wooden planter with red and purple plants in front of it, and a tall spiky plant in the centre. There's also a man walking by with a grey coat on and a blue backpack.BBC
The branch is inside the Kings Chase Shopping Centre

Customers have been told to expect disruption to services after a main Post Office branch closes.

The branch, located inside the TG Jones store at the Kings Chase Shopping Centre in Kingswood, Bristol, is scheduled to shut on 18 November.

Local resident William Baker said: " I will miss it because it's the only one I can get to at my age. I get my meals delivered and I go to the post office to pay for them. Where am I going to go when that's shut?"

The closure is a direct result of a commercial decision by TG Jones, which is shutting its retail branch following a major High Court-approved restructuring plan.

News imageAn elderly man with white hair, wearing a blue shirt and a light coloured coat. he's standing in front of a busy bus stop which is next to a road, with shops on the other side.
William Baker said he relies on the Post Office to pay for his meals service

Despite ongoing talks between Bristol North East MP Damien Egan, South Gloucestershire Council and Post Office management, efforts to secure an alternative location for the branch are yet to succeed.

Egan said "I know many residents will be concerned by this news. As soon as I became aware of the risk to the branch, I raised the matter directly with Post Office management and pressed the case for retaining a Post Office presence in Kingswood.

"Kingswood is undergoing significant investment and regeneration, and maintaining access to key community services must be part of that future.

"Kingswood deserves accessible, convenient Post Office services, and I will continue making that case until a sustainable future is secured."

News imageA women wearing glasses with long dark, slightly greying hair wearing a red coat and a brown t-shirt witha white floral pattern. She's standing on the pavement next to a floral display with pink and purple flowers. There's a road behind her with a row of shops.
Jean Bourne said she will now have to make multiple bus trips to alternative branches

Jean Bourne, who lives in Kingswood and doesn't drive, pointed out that the nearest post office will be in either Hanham or Staple Hill, which would require multiple bus journeys for her.

She said the closure of the branch, which she visits regularly, was "disgusting" and making Kingswood "a no-go area".

South Gloucestershire Council has warned the community to prepare for at least a six-month gap without a dedicated, full-service post office.

While Egan said that he expects to be informed of the new location in October or November, the new site will not be ready by the time the branch closes.

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