THE Royal Mail delivery office in Ashton-under-Lyne is moving out of the area permanently following the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
Customers in Tameside have been picking up parcels from Hyde after the Fleet Street building was temporarily closed in December.
Now the facility is moving permanently to Oldham after it was found to be too costly to replace the roof or support it with other changes.
Switching it another location in the town was also ruled out because nowhere big enough could be found.
In a letter Ashton MP Angela Rayner, Royal Mail said: “In December 2023, a routine building fabric survey at Ashton under Lyne Delivery Office revealed the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) panels.
“On the advice of chartered structural engineers, two exclusion zones were created in the building and a propping system was installed as a temporary safety measure.
“After further investigation. the decision was made to relocate the Royal Mail operation to Manchester Mail Centre while a permanent solution was designed.
“This was a huge effort by all colleagues so close to Christmas, and they did an outstanding job to keep the service going.
“Since this temporary move, customers have been collecting any items that could not be delivered after the second attempt from the Customer Service Point at Hyde Delivery Office.
“Since then, a number of options have been looked into so the Royal Mail operation could move back to Fleet Street, Ashton under Lyne.
“These included providing additional structural supports at the delivery office, replacing the roof and moving some delivery rounds to Hyde Delivery Office and others to Oldham Delivery Office.
“Unfortunately, it is not practicable to retain or replace the RAAC roof, which would require internal changes following the works.
“We have had to consider the significant cost of such work alongside the reality that, with the changing mix of parcels and letters, we had already been experiencing the effects of size constraints.
“In looking at alternative options we have also had to acknowledge space constraints at other sites, and the potential impact on quality of service in the OL5, OL6 and OL7 postcode areas.
“It has therefore been concluded that the best option is for colleagues to permanently relocate to Oldham Delivery Office, 21 Hamilton Street, Oldham OL1 1AA.”
Now the delivery office facility is moving to Oldham, people in the Tameside area – Ashton also served places like Stalybridge and Mossley – face a trip to the town, which for some people means taking a bus.
But Royal Mail insist the switch is the best option, adding: “This site offers a more suitable working space and has room for us to expand to take account of future growth in parcels.
“Some works will need to be made to facilitate this move and we will work with the relevant authorities to enable that work as soon as possible.”