PROPOSED RELOCATION OF ROYAL MAIL’S WEST NORWOOD DELIVERY OFFICE
Norwood Action Group have criticised the proposed closure of West Norwood sorting office – saying people living there would have to pick up their mail from the sorting office in Penge.
NAG say: “Royal Mail sorting office could move to Penge. “Royal Mail propose to close our local sorting office which will affect residents and businesses alike. “There is no direct bus route between West Norwood and the location of the Anerley sorting office at Blenheim Road, Penge.
“There are no direct public transport links. “The closest is a 432 bus to Anerley station then a very long walk to the sorting office – about one mile each way!
“This proposal is clearly detrimental to the elderly, infirm, or disabled in West Norwood, who will face real difficulties in going to Penge if this move goes ahead, not to mention the time and expense for a round trip.
“It will also result in worse delivery times in the local area, which is particularly detrimental to businesses.” NAG have asked people to sign an on-line petition to help prevent the closure.
News From Crystal Palace contacted Royal Mail, pointing out there is a sorting office in Westow Street, Upper Norwood SE19.
NFCP asked if Upper Norwood sorting office is under threat of closure and what the current situation regarding West Norwood sorting office is?. We received the following news release dated February 3rd:
PROPOSED RELOCATION OF ROYAL MAIL’S WEST NORWOOD DELIVERY OFFICE
Royal Mail is exploring the option of relocating its West Norwood delivery office to its site in Anerley and has started to discuss this with the Communication Workers Union (CWU)
This is part of Royal Mail’s ongoing transformation of its business to increase the efficiency of its operations and provide delivery offices that are fit for purpose for our people and our customers
If the move goes ahead, there will be no impact on deliveries to our customers who will continue to be served by the same postmen and women
Before any office move goes ahead, detailed planning will take place to help ensure a smooth transition for our operations, our people and the service we provide to our customers
There is expected to be minimal impact on jobs if this relocation goes ahead
Royal Mail is exploring the option of relocating its West Norwood delivery office to Anerley, South East London SE20. There is sufficient space at Anerley delivery office to incorporate our West Norwood delivery operations and vehicles on site.
News From Crystal Palace then asked Royal Mail: “This may sound daft but why can’t people in West Norwood collect from Upper Norwood which is much nearer?” and received the following response:
“As I said in my earlier note, one of the factors behind the proposed relocation is to improve our efficiency, and consolidating our operations into fewer sites contributes to this. “It would not be as efficient for our West Norwood postmen and women to drop off mail at another site if they move to Anerley and Norwood delivery operation is too large to fit into Anerley delivery office.
“As I explained, no-one needs to collect mail from our offices if they would prefer not to. “There are many other options for customers, as outlined in the press release and in my earlier email.
“This is part of Royal Mail’s ongoing transformation of its business to increase the efficiency of its operation as well as providing delivery offices which are fit for purpose for our people and for our customers.
“As a commercial business, Royal Mail is responding to the huge growth in electronic communications and decline in letter volumes, while seeing a high volume of parcels and online shopping which need to be delivered to customers.
“What this means for customers
If the move goes ahead, detailed planning will take place to ensure a smooth transition for our operations, our people and the service we provide to customers. There will be no impact on mail deliveries to customers, who will continue to be served by the same postmen and women.
If customers choose to collect mail from us because they were not at home when we tried to deliver it, they will be able to do this from the customer service point at Anerley delivery office. This is open longer than the office at West Norwood, giving customers more options when to collect their mail.
Royal Mail can now leave many mail items with a neighbour* if customers are not at home when we attempt delivery. Customers can nominate a dedicated neighbour to take in their parcels by filling in a form at their delivery office.
Customers can also arrange a redelivery free of charge on a day that is convenient for them (including Saturdays), or Royal Mail can deliver the item to a different address within the same postcode area. This service can be arranged by calling the number on the “Something for You” card we leave or by visiting our website at www.royalmail.com/redelivery.
No final decision has been made yet and we are committed to continuing to provide a first class service to all our business and residential customers. We have a strong track record of managing operation change in our business and we will work with our staff and our unions to give them the opportunity to discuss the implications of this possible relocation in detail. There is expected to be minimal impact on jobs if this relocation goes ahead.
*Apart from Special Delivery items and inbound international items that require a signature.
West Norwood delivery office is currently located at 4 Windsor Grove, London SE27 9LS. There are 25 people based in this office. It delivers to addresses in the SE27 postcode area. Anerley delivery office is located at 1 Blenheim Road, London SE20 8AA.
