HOLCOMBE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

website: www.holcombedevon.co.uk

17 June 2008

Dear Sirs

Re: Proposed Closure of Holcombe Branch Post Office, Hollandia, Holcombe Road EX7 0LH

I write on behalf of this Association’s 350 members in support of this Village’s attempt to keep a functioning Post Office branch at Hollandia, Holcombe Road , Holcombe.  Also supporting these activities are our Member of Parliament, Devon County Council, Teignbridge District Council, Dawlish and Teignmouth Town Councils, all of our local representatives on County Council, District Council and Town Councils, the local press and a number of visitors, holidaymaking in this area, who are surprised to see the Post Office under threat.  

At the start of the public consultation period, there was a gathering outside the Post Office itself, attended by the BBC Spotlight team and elected representatives and some twenty to thirty villagers. This was then followed by a public meeting in the Village Hall, in the presence of Postwatch, our Member of Parliament, and several County Councillors and District Councillors, including the Mayor of Dawlish, and a capacity crowd of some eighty plus residents.  Petitions to keep the Post Office open were signed and handed in and we understand several hundred signatures were obtained. There can be no argument about the support we have for the retention of the Holcombe Post Office branch.

Holcombe itself stands approximately halfway between Teignmouth and Dawlish.  It is bisected by the A379 road, which carries the only bus routes that run close to the village. The bulk of the village roads have no paths, a considerable degree of sharp bends and the whole village is built on sloping terrain with relatively few flat areas.

Over the years attempts have been made to establish some kind of bus transport system within the village, all these have failed, undoubtedly due to the tortuous nature of the road system that we have.  We have calculated that, for a pensioner, or elderly person who can walk to a bus stop on the main road, a distance of at least 600 yards, it will take at least fifteen to twenty minutes. It would, of course, take significantly more than that if they came back with shopping from outside the village because the main bus route is at a lower level than the majority of the village.  Not only may people need to cross the A379, which is a difficult process under any circumstances, but returning to their houses they must negotiate hills, gradients of which range from 5% to 8% with some slightly steeper depending on their final destination.  So elderly or disabled Post Office users have a totally impossible journey to reach either the Post Office in Dawlish or Teignmouth by any means other than by car, assuming they can find someone to take them.  This will obviously increase their carbon footprint and cost a significant sum of money if they were to say take a taxi.

Wheelchair users, of which we have a number in the Village, can currently reach the Holcombe Post Office and shop without any problems.  There is no way that this type of vehicle could be used to access the alternative sub Post Offices you have specified, due to the pathless, twisting, hilly nature of the local roads.  Also with regard to accessing these alternative Post Offices by public transport, you would need to change busses in Teignmouth to access Ashleigh Way and at neither of these are the bus stops close at hand.  We do not believe these routes are practical and will disadvantage all the affected people.

We have approximately 1000 people in the Village and it is our belief that, probably, in excess of 60% of these are either retired or semi-retired and people in the over 80 age group are quite common.  The National average population figures for Senior Citizens stand at 20.8%.  In Teignbridge 27% and in our Electoral Ward in Dawlish it is over 40%.  We have estimated that on three of our level roads, we have 64%, 63% and 50% occupation of houses by Senior Citizens and on a further two roads with gradients of up to 8% we have 70% and 62% occupied by Senior Citizens.  It therefore follows that for many of these people, the presence of a Post Office close to their homes gives them access, not only to Post Office services, but to the ability to keep up with events in the area., as well as the ability to purchase items of shopping as required.

It is our firmly held belief that, if you take away the Post Office, the shop will most probably also disappear.  It is, of course, the only shop in the Village.  The remaining parts of infrastructure other than the Post Office and the shop are the Public House, the Church and the Village Hall.

The Village has, over the last few years, seen significant growth and is still seeing applications for infill development, which, if permitted, will see the growth pattern continue.   In addition one major development is currently being discussed and a number of other significant developments have already received planning consent.  These could lead to a considerable increase in population and therefore an increase in demand on what facilities, i.e. the Post Office and shop, are available in the Village.

One of your criteria for closure appears to be the number of transactions carried out in sub Post Offices.  We would like to point out that, over the last few weeks, on a number of occasions, the equipment used by the Postmaster for the dispensing of money etc., has developed faults.  These faults mean that no business can be done until they are corrected.  It is clear that at least a day’s work, if not more, has been lost on each occasion.  In addition there have been times when insufficient money has been delivered to satisfy the demand from users. These would then impact upon the transaction numbers recorded.  We would expect that this information would be taken into account in your consideration of the performance of this Post Office.

We would expect that your decision will not solely be based upon the financial viability of this office because how do you put a price on the standard of living of elderly or infirm people, whose only sin is that they need a Post Office and a shop from time to time.

Yours faithfully,

……………………….

Gerry Chambers, Chair & membership secretary                           Roger Tyler, Vice-Chair

This letter sent to: Postwatch, FREEPOST and Network Development Manager C/o National Consultation Team, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM