THE Post Office is proposing to move its Sandiway branch to the local Spar shop.

The branch would relocate from its present home in School Lane to the Fir Lane store, 482 metres away.

The Post Office is inviting responses during an eight-week consultation on the plan, which it says will create a new ‘main style open-plan branch’ and extended opening hours.

Post Office regional network manager for central England, Adrian Wales, said: “We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Sandiway and we are confident that this new modern branch will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future.

“The modernisation is part of a major investment programme to convert the Post Office network to new-style branches and this investment, the largest in the history of the Post Office, makes a commitment to no more branch closure programmes.”

The new Sandiway Post Office would have one traditional screened counter position, one open plan counter position and a Post Office serving point at the retail counter - a new concept for delivering Post Office services with Post Office products and services available alongside retail transactions during shop opening hours.

Office opening hours will be 9am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday, as opposed to the current 12.30pm Saturday closing time for the School Lane branch. The Office will remain closed on Sundays.

However, the Post Office retail counter will open in line with Spar’s opening times, 7:30am to 10pm , Monday to Sunday.

The Post Office said this will offer customers an extra 55-and-a-half a week to access Post Office products and services.

Consultation closes on January 31. Freepost YOUR COMMENTS to Post Office Ltd, via email to comments@postoffice.co.uk, via the Customer Helpline: 08457 22 33 44 or Textphone 08457 22 33 55.