Tower Hamlets Labour Party

Adam Crozier

Chief Executive

Royal Mail Group Ltd
148 Old Street
LONDON
EC1V 9HQ

Wednesday 26 March 2008

We are writing to register our objection in the strongest terms to your published proposals to close Heylyn Square Post Office, Bow, E3 2DW. We believe a number of important factors have not been taken into account in proposing this closure and ask that you reconsider this decision.

In particular, we believe that the demographics of the local community mean that this closure would cause an unacceptable level of hardship to local residents, that nearby post offices are hard to access and unable to absorb extra customers and that the closure would have a disastrous impact on the local economy.

We are supported in this view by very many residents and enclose in evidence of this a petition signed by 1,394 people, to add to the 300 plus signature that you have already received from us. We also enclose a number of letters from key local stakeholders, setting out their particular concerns.

We believe that, had the following information been considered, the decision to close Heylyn Square post office would not have been taken: 

Heylyn Square sits in the middle of the Malmesbury and Alfred Estates, local authority housing estates, characterised by high levels of complex need. The community which lives around the post office has high numbers of elderly residents and residents with disabilities, who by definition are less mobile than the general population and will struggle to travel to other post offices. There are higher than average levels of single pensioner households, who rely heavily on the local post office for both services but also regular contact with the outside world, and higher than average number of lone parent households. The closure of the Heylyn Square post office is likely to result in increased isolation for these residents.

The local community suffers from extremes of poverty and deprivation and is by consequence less mobile, less likely to have access to a car and more dependent on very local services.

·         17.7% of the population in Super Output Area (SOA) EE01004229 (the SOA in which Heylyn Square post office is located) are over 50 years old.

·         9.4% of the SOA population are over 60 years old, with 8.7% relying on the state pension.

·         12% of residents of the Bow West ward, within which Heylyn Square post office is situated, are single pensioner households, higher than the Tower Hamlets average of 11%.

·         11.1% of residents of the Bow West ward are lone parent households, higher than the Tower Hamlets average of 10%.

·         22.1% of the residents in the SOA are unemployed, significantly higher than the London average of 15.2%.

·         The SOA Disability Living Allowance claimant rate is high, at 43.4 per 1,000 residents and the Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance claimant rates is also high at 5.4%.

·         Car ownership of the local population is extremely low, with only 42% of households owning a car or van.

There is a sheltered housing block, Lawrence Close, on the Malmesbury Estate, in very near proximity to the post office, many of whose residents have mobility problems and will be unable to get to other post offices.

The post office is also next to both Malmesbury Primary School and Central Foundation Girls’ School and is used by pupils and parents for banking, buying and renewing travelcards, paying bills and for benefits payments.

We do not believe that any of this particular local need will have been immediately obvious to you when considering the closure of Heylyn Square post office and ask that this is now taken into account.

The Post Office’s consultation document identifies 603 Roman Road and 1b Burdett Road as the two nearest alternative post offices and states that the terrain between both branches is level.

In the case of 603 Roman Road, this is inaccurate. A simple Ordnance Survey Map shows that 603 Roman Road is several metres higher above sea level than Heylyn Square post office and the route from Heylyn Square to Roman Road is a constant incline for the whole 0.5 miles. As your own report identifies, there is no public transport to make this journey and, with such low access to cars, the majority of residents would have to make it on foot. The constant incline makes it difficult to walk for many older people and those with disabilities. 

This is added to by a very sharp dip and then incline to pass under Tom Thumb’s Arch, a pedestrian underpass between Malmesbury Road and Mostyn Grove that is necessary to avoid a very long detour to get to Roman Road. This is too steep for many older people.

Additionally, Tom Thumb’s Arch, being a pedestrian underpass, has been the site of muggings and many older people understandably refuse to use it.

This means that both your distance figures between post offices and your terrain analysis are incorrect and should be revisited.

The terrain between Heylyn Square and 1b Burdett Road may be more level but your analysis has failed to take into account that to travel from one to the other residents will have to cross the extremely busy A11, a four-lane arterial road that has been the site of several serious and fatal accidents involving pedestrians. Many residents, especially the vulnerable and frail, will not risk crossing this road and if they do their risk will be significantly increased. 

We also believe that neither 603 Roman Road nor 1b Burdett Road would be able to adequately cope with the increased customer numbers. Residents have complained to us about waiting for up to 30 minutes in Roman Road. 1b Burdett Road is a very small shop, with little room for customers and it is not uncommon to see customers queuing out onto the street for long periods of time. Your own figures show that, if just half the Heylyn Square customers transfer to 1b Burdett Road, its usage will increase almost 50%. It is inconceivable to think that it could take this without serious damage to the service it can provide.

We ask therefore that you examine and take into account:

·         The terrain and distance between Heylyn Square and 603 Roman Road, taking into account both the general incline and that of Tom Thumb’s Arch, and the full journey that residents who have to make if they were unprepared to use Tom Thumb’s Arch.

·         The presence of an extremely busy highway between Heylyn Square and 1b Burdett Road.

·         The capacity of both 603 Roman Road and 1b Burdett Road to acceptably accommodate a significant increase in custom.

Heylyn Square post office is one of six small units in an isolated parade of shops that serves its community, particularly the Malmesbury and Alfred Estates. Your own consultation identifies that this includes a mini-market and launderette. As identified above, many local residents do not have access to cars to travel to other shops and high numbers are dependant on benefits and really on cash to purchase necessities. Residents using the Post Office also often use the mini-market and vice versa and this small parade of shops is very reliant on the post office for its continuing economic viability. The loss of the post office would put the continued presence of other shops in the parade at serious risk, compounding the impact on local residents of the loss of the post office and causing serious and unacceptable hardship.

We ask that these factors be taking into account.

This is not just the view of us as the local councillors. It is supported by over 1,700 residents who have signed the enclosed petition as well as a number of key local stakeholders, who have also written (enclosed) to underline their concerns at the proposed closure. These include:

·         The head teachers of both Malmesbury Primary School and Central Foundation Girls School

·         The Chief Executive of Bethnal Green and Victoria Park Housing Association, which owns and manages the Lawrence Close sheltered housing development mentioned above, and

·         The Rector of St Mary’s Church, the church for the parish which includes Heylyn Square.

We look forward to hearing from you.