Proposed move of delivery office to St Albans labelled a “nonsense”

HARPENDEN retailers are collecting signatures on a petition in a last-ditch attempt to stop the proposed relocation of the town’s delivery office to the Royal Mail’s St Albans office.

The Royal Mail recently confirmed that it was relocating its delivery office on Station Road because of plummeting mail volumes and increasingly tough trading conditions.

The move has annoyed local residents and the business community with Fiona Grant, owner of Oui, a women’s clothing store on Bower’s Parade, saying she has had many people sign the petition already.

It calls on people to help save the delivery office and stop its proposed move to the city as it is an integral part of the community.

Fiona said: “If it goes to St Albans we have been told it could be 48 hours to wait to go and pick up your post, whereas it is only about two hours at the moment.

“The whole principle is nonsense; it’s such a long process. If you want to get a signed-for parcel, you are obviously going to be in a hurry.”

There has been no announcement as yet on an alternative location for residents to pick up deliveries within Harpenden.