Temporary reprieve for Royal Mail sorting office in heart of Ipswich
Royal Mail will trial new services at the sorting office in Commercial Road, Ipswich. - Credit: PA
There may still be a future for the Royal Mail sorting office in Ipswich as it is set to trial alternative services in the building.
It was announced in November 2012 that the company was planning to transfer all of its mail processing from the Commercial Road centre to Chelmsford by summer this year.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said after a long consultation with the Communication and Workers Union (CWU) and staff, it was decided the centre would continue to process inward mail until April 2016.
The outward mail operation was transferred and split between Chelmsford Mail Centre and Norwich Mail Centre in August. Those working on outward mail in Ipswich will have the option of transferring to either location.
The spokeswoman added: “We are continuing to work with our people to find the best solution for all of them.”
The extra time period will be used by Royal Mail and the CWU to trial new products and services in the hope of keeping the centre with the postal service.
“We have already met with the local stakeholders to discuss different ideas,” the Royal Mail spokeswoman said. “It is hoped that new areas of work may increase the viability of the mail centre.
“If no new developments or trials succeed to improve the viability of the centre, then Royal Mail will look to move forward with the full transfer of mail work to other sites.”
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She added there would be no impact on service to customers from these changes.
It was reported yesterday that Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service would not be moving from its Princes Street station to a bigger site in Whitehouse after a feasibility study revealed it would have a detrimental affect on response times.
The fire service will now evaluate whether to redevelop Princes Street or move to new base in the town centre. If it does move to another site, the Commercial Road premises could be perfect due to its size, location and parking facilities.
