New Post Office

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33448, 1 February 1974, Page 16

New Post Office

Sir, —I feel that the time is long overdue that a branch of the Post Office should be opened south of the Square. I visualise a site somewhere between Lichfield and St Asaph Streets. There is a vast amount of business transacted in this area as can be substantiated by the trading banks opening branches in the locality and also the Canterbury Savings Bank. Now that all the Transport Board buses have changed their stops in the Square it is quite a long walk, especially for elderly people, to cross right across the Square to buy stamps or post letters as to the best of my knowledge there are no posting boxes on the eastern side of the Square. I know that one large departmental store in Cashel Street sells stamps and accepts articles for posting but more than this is needed and they do it as a courtesy service for their customers. The nearest post offices are in High Street and Walker Street and I feel that these are just as inconvenient for people shopping in the busy area I have mentioned, as the Chief Post Office is. Perhaps the powers that be could be approached and their opinion published on this matter.—Yours, etc., (Mrs) J. McCLEARY.

January 18, 1974. [The Chief Postmaster (Mr M. T. Reedy) replies: “A comprehensive study on the need for additional post office and savings bank facilities south of Cathedral Square has already been made. I feel quite sure that if a suitable property be- . came available, serious consideration would be given to such a proposal. The establishment of a post office in the inner area of a city like Christchurch is not a simple matter at any time but in this case, there are additional complications arising from the re-development of Cathedral Square, the proposal to convert some adjacent streets to pedestrian malls, the provision of a small post office in the postal centre now under construction in Hereford Street and the re-develop-ment of the existing Chief Post Office complex. Perhaps it should be mentioned that in the last two or three years, a major addition andl

interior alterations were made to the High Street Post Office, which is little more than one quarter of a mile from the Chief Post Office.”]