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A FORMER high street post office could be brought back into use by Royal Mail to meet growing demand.
The site in Lymington town centre had operated as a post office sales counter and convenience store for many years until it closed in 2019.
The Post Office relocated its presence in the town to nearby Rashley Mews.
Since then the front of the building at 54 High Street has been vacant.
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Royal Mail, who have continued to operate a delivery office in the back of the building, wants to bring forward a redevelopment.
The change of use plan would see a new customer service point created as well as an enlarged space for sorting parcels.
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A planning statement submitted as part of the proposal to New Forest District Council by Royal Mail Group Ltd said: “The need to expand the Lymington delivery office is based on ensuring that essential services are maintained and enhanced.
“Royal Mail has statutory duties with high performance and efficiency obligations to meet as part of the Postal Services Act.
“The need for more space reflects a changing mix of items that Royal Mail delivers, as parcel volumes increase, and letters decline.
“Sorting requires much more space due to the higher proportion and greater number of parcels being processed.
“Essentially, the delivery office has outgrown its established space.”
The statement added that Royal Mail is mindful of the planned growth in the current Local Plan, with more than 10,000 new dwellings in the offing.
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“This puts added pressure on the need to expand current delivery capacity at Lymington deliver office.”
In relation to the customer service point, the current set up is described as “small”, with pedestrians experiencing issues accessing it through a busy yard area.
“The site is a highly accessible location and the proposed improvements to Royal Mail’s established operations can be regarded as sustainable development,” the statement added.
“The proposals will sustain the vitality and viability of the town centre and the proposed development will not have a harmful effect on the composition of the primary shopping area or the primary shopping frontage.”
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