SuperValu in Johnstown to run new post office for area

The long-awaited post office to serve the Johnstown community is to be located in Smith's SuperValu and is expected to be opened in late spring or early summer. An Post has awarded the contract for the post office to the SuperValu supermarket at the Bailis Shopping Centre. The move follows An Post's reorganisation of services that will see Balrath Post Office closed and a new post office opened in its place in Johnstown. The community has been campaigning for a post office in the highly populated Johnstown area for many years and the announcement that the contract has been awarded has been welcomed by Cllr Francis Deane. He said: “I welcome the great news from An Post of their intention to open a post office with full counter services in Johnstown. This 1,000 square foot office will be located at Smith's SuperValu following an extension to the existing supermarket space. Now a planning process will get underway for this project.†Cllr Deane added that there is a huge footfall passing through the Johnstown Shopping Centre each week and that it will be a most convenient location for the residents of Johnstown and surrounding area. “I am hoping that the post office will be a big boost for the many shops and businesses in Johnstown Shopping Centre,†he said. Last year, following the death of the postmistress at Balrath Post Office, An Post looked at services in the general area and took the decision to open a post office in Johnstown rather than seek an alternative location in the Balrath/Kentstown area. It is understood that Balrath Post Office is to remain open until the new post office is opened in Johnstown. SuperValu Johnstown owner Denis Smith said: “We were delighted to be awarded the postmaster licence from An Post to provide post office services for the local community we serve. It is a very positive development for our customers and the local community. Our customers will be able to avail of one-stop shopping, added convenience and free car parking with the additional services of the post office.†Mr Smith they are progressing with planning for the development and expect to have the facility open for customers in late spring or early summer. The post office will be operated by his brother, John Smith. Meanwhile, Cllr Regina Doherty has raised concerns about the recent transfer of some postal services from Ashbourne Post Office to the Dunshaughlin sorting office and is calling for the move to be reversed. She explained that when a parcel or package cannot be delivered, it is now tranferred to Dunshaughlin for collection. Cllr Doherty said the Dunshaughlin sorting office is situated in an industrial esate on the busy N3 at the entrance to the town and that people have no choice but to access the industrial estate from this road. “Access is not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. The area has always been plagued with traffic and any unnecessary additional traffic will only lead to further congestion. On top of this, the hours of business are proving extremely difficult for many, particularly in the Ashbourne area, to collect their goods, often resulting in parcels being returned to sender, which, of course, has a cost. There is no public transport available from Ashbourne to Dushaughlin either, compounding the problem for Ashbourne residents,†she added.