Headington Sorting Office: the Royal Mail's version

11.51.11pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 13th Jun 2005

Stephen Tall, with colleagues David Rundle and Patrick Mjurray, outside Headington post office

Many of you have, I know, been following closely the saga of the closure of the Headington sorting office in Lime Walk, which shut last week. This, the Royal Mail assures us, will improve the service they can provide. Hmmm. Anyway, Royal Mail did at least fulfil their promise to write to all 16,000 customers to let you know of the changes. However - and I will fight my instincts to be archly ironic here - it appears this letter did not reach everyone in the Headington area, so I'm reprinting it here for your edification.

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Dear Customer,

Relocation of Royal Mail Delivery Office serving Headington, OX3 and OX33 Postcode Areas

I am writing to inform you of changes to Royal Mail services in your area.

On Monday 6th June, Headington Delivery Office in Lime Walk will relocate three miles to East Oxford Delivery Office in Ledgers Close with all 60 staff transferring.

The full postal address is:

East Oxford Delivery Office,

Ledgers Close,

OXFORD

OX4 6HA

Due to the growth in mail volumes in recent years and changes to the way we deliver mail, the Headington site has become too small for a modern mail operation.

This move is planned to improve service for you and the working environment for our people. The current building offers no space for growth and prevents improvements to quality of service and the health and safety of our people.

The relocation will allow us to expand our operation, improve efficiency and the working conditions for our staff. Also, the current Headington office is situated in a residential area and the move to a building in a more industrial setting will benefit customers who will no longer live near a site where vehicles unload in the very early hours of the morning.

The relocation will result in some changes to current delivery rounds as they are brought in line with the new 'single delivery' system that has already been introduced in all Royal Mail offices in Oxfordshire and across the UK. You may notice some slight alterations to the time of your usual morning delivery.

Mail that cannot be delivered, because no one is at home to receive it, will be available for collection from the delivery office which has easier access to a better standard enquiry office. Alternatively, you can arrange to have your mail re-delivered at a mutually convenient time to your home address, an alternative address or to a local Post Office® branch.

The enquiry office at the East Oxford Delivery Office, which will have disabled access and ample parking, will be open between 07:00 - 12.30 Monday to Saturday for collecting or posting items of mail. [UPDATE, 5/9/05: hours have now been extended to 07:00 - 17:00 (Monday - Friday), still 07:00 - 12.30 on Saturday).]

There will inevitably be a period of adjustment while these new operational arrangements come into effect. Your co-operation and patience during this period would be appreciated while our staff become more familiar with new equipment and delivery routes.

In the meantime, should you have any queries about the changes outlined above, or would like any information about our products and services, please call our Customer Service Centre on 08457 740740.

A map showing the location of the new office is below ['fraid my website can't reproduce the graphic: try www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=454422&Y=202940&A=Y&Z=1 - you'll have to copy and paste the link]. I am confident that with this new office fully operational we will be well placed to meet our customers' needs for a consistent and reliable postal service now and in the future.

Yours faithfully,

Casey Jones

Delivery Office Manager

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