AFTER being without a post office for more than half a decade, Mapplewell residents will benefit from the service reopening in the village next month - but the news has sparked complaints about parking.
Set to open on July 29 at 1pm at the Premier store on Towngate, the Post Office announced its return to the village after the most recent one closed in September 2016.
The closure almost six years ago was down to a lack of interest from staff to run it, and Darton East Coun Steve Hunt said the announcement of the reopening came as a pleasant surprise.
“Mapplewell is a thriving village and things are really on the up,” said Coun Hunt.
“And we’ve been without a post office for so long so this is fantastic news for Mapplewell.
“It will increase the footfall on the high street and benefit local businesses.
“It seems like it’s more common to hear about post offices closing these days rather than opening - so this is great news.
“I have to say there is another post office in Windhill who have done a sterling job of serving the people of Mapplewell over the years, and I’d encourage people to still use that one too.
“There is one issue which people have mentioned which is parking, which will get worse, so I’ve called on the council to make sure they are tackling any parking on double yellow lines in Mapplewell.
“I do think more parking enforcement needs to be done in the village.”
A spokesperson for Post Office added: “Customers will access Post Office services at a low-screened, open-plan, modern serving point that’s part of the retail counter.
“Working with the postmaster, we’d adapt the current store layout, fixtures and fittings to accommodate the Post Office till if needed.
“The branch will offer the same range of Post Office products and services.
“We have provided posters for display in the new premises to let customers know the good news.
“We are keen to restore services to this community as soon as possible so we are now progressing with these plans.
“However, we would welcome suggestions about specific aspects of the change that might benefit customers, particularly on access into the premises and its internal layout.
“Whilst the decision has already been made to reopen this branch, we would still like your views on access at the new location.
“We welcome feedback that can help inform our plans and the questionnaire asks for comments on the following areas - access into the new premises, access inside the new premises, and any further feedback on our plans.”
The questionnaire can be found on the Post Office website.
