Fears grow on Ludlow's town centre post office

Shropshire Council planning officers have given the go-ahead for the One Stop building on Tower Street to be knocked down and redeveloped into apartments, and what will most likely be a restaurant or cafe beneath.

The store currently has counters at the rear which act as Ludlow's town centre post office.

Previous hopes to move the service next door to the Budgens supermarket were scuppered when the retailer closed earlier this year.

A report by Shropshire Council planning officer Tim Rogers said: "The terms of the lease allow the applicant to redevelop the property. The applicant advises that whilst the Post Office Ltd has not indicated its plans in the event of redevelopment it has at no stage indicated any intention to cease their Ludlow operation."

He said there will likely be "several months" before construction commences as One Stop and hence, there would be a reasonable period for the post office to relocate.

But both Andy Boddington and Vivienne Parry, Shropshire councillors for Ludlow North and Ludlow South, have said they are worried.

Councillor Boddington said: "Our town centre lacks large format stores where a post office might locate alongside another retail operation. Post offices elsewhere have moved into WH Smith stores. Perhaps that might happen here." But, he said, the only larger convenience store in the town centre is the Spar on Castle Street.