Village Post Office seeks new home (From Bucks Free Press)

Village Post Office seeks new home

9:02pm Monday 16th February 2009 in Search By James Nadal

A VILLAGE Post Office is looking for a new home after the building’s owner said she wants it emptied as soon as possible.

Cookham Dean Post Office in Bigfrith Lane, Cookham Dean, will have to move from its current location because landlady Jackie Power wants to sell the property.

However, The Post Office has moved to reassure villagers, saying the service will remain in Cookham Dean, regardless of a switch in premises.

Mrs Power proposed a major redevelopment of the building last year which she said was crucial for the post office to remain there.

She put forward a plan to demolish and rebuild it with a scaled down postal service, a village shop and apartments exclusively for pensioners to lease.

The proposal was thrown out by councillors.

Scores of residents desperate to keep the service flocked to the outlet on Thursday to voice their concerns.

They held an impromptu meeting with post office representative Stewart Swabey, who turned up expecting a one-on-one discussion with Satpal Soomal, wife of sub postmaster Joginder Soomal.

Mrs Soomal, who helps run the service, said: "He was due to have a meeting here at three on Thursday and when he came down he was really shocked to see all the people here. “The meeting was very successful, there were a lot of suggestions and ideas about where we might be able to go. “We are still thinking about new locations but we need something secure that we can stay for the long-term.”

Some of the possible alternatives that residents came up with included the village hall, the Jolly Farmer Pub, just metres down the road, or a mobile post office.

More than 200 residents have added their names to a list supporting their village post office.

"Cookham Dean is a village with quite an elderly community and this is the only place for them,” said Mrs Soomal, “There's nowhere else to meet, no shops or anything.

She added: “ The villagers are very happy to keep me here and say we are part of the family. The local people really appreciate it.”

Resident Joy Brown, 64, retired, of Bigfrith Lane, said: "As long as it remains in the area, that is what’s important, because it's a big area and if you have to go down to Cookham Rise you can't park anywhere, it's horrendous.

“The only other one would be in Maidenhead which is a long way away. “We are lucky to have it here really and we need it for the community.“ She added that she would like to see the new premises to contain a convenience store alongside the post office selling newspapers and basic food like it used to.