Folk living in and around Kirriemuir now face a round trip of at least 12 miles to the Forfar delivery office.
The Royal Mail sorting office in Ogilvys Close, Kirriemuir. Image: Graham Brown/DC Thomson
Kirriemuir has been dealt another blow after Royal Mail axed the town’s parcel collection office.
It leaves locals facing a 12-mile round trip to Forfar to collect parcels which town posties have been unable to deliver.
And the journey will be even longer for those living in the glens.
A local councillor says it’s another “nail in the coffin of Kirrie” after the loss of all its banks.
And it comes hard on the heels of Angus Council’s decision to shut the town recycling centre.
There has been criticism over the absence of consultation around the Royal Mail move.
Kirrie councillor Ronnie Proctor says the Royal Mail decision is another blow to the town.
What are the changes?
Kirrie folk who missed a Royal Mail parcel delivery were previously able to collect the item from the sorting office in Ogilvy’s Close.
They must now head to Forfar delivery office at West High Street.
Opening hours of 8am to 10am weekdays and 8am to noon on Saturday offer a narrow time window to pick up parcels.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We offer a range of options for customers who have missed a delivery, which we outline on our website.
“These options include collecting the item from the Customer Service Point (CSP) at a nearby Delivery Office (DO), or arranging a free redelivery to your own address, another address locally, or the local Post Office.
“For customers in Kirriemuir who choose to collect their item from a CSP rather than arranging a redelivery, the nearest CSP offering this service is now at Forfar DO, 58 West High Street, Forfar, DD8 1AA.”
Pressures for the elderly
Kirrie and Dean Conservative councillor Ronnie Proctor said: “This is more bad news for the town.
“It’s especially bad for the elderly who might have even found it a struggle to get down to the Kirrie office if they didn’t have a car.
“Now they’ll have to get on a bus to Forfar.
“And if you’re up the glen that could be another 10 or 15 miles on the journey.
“It’s really not good for the carbon footprint.
The one-time main Post Office on Reform Street closed a number of years ago. Image: Graham Brown/DC Thomson
“I complained bitterly in my early days as a councillor when we lost the main Post Office in the town.
“We at least still have a Post Office counter in Kirrie, but this is another thing that’s gone.
“I fear the next thing will be the closure of the sorting office and everything moved to Forfar.
“If we keep losing things it can’t be long before Kirrie is just a suburb of Forfar.”
Kirrie cuts
The town’s last remaining bank, the Bank of Scotland, closed four years’ ago.
And in February, Kirriemuir was one of two recycling centres Angus Council decided to close as part of its budget cuts, alongside Monifieth.
There are fresh fears the award-winning Gateway to the Glens museum may not survive.
Council leisure trust Angus Alive says it will be handing Kirrie and Brechin museums back to the authority at the end of the summer season.
It leaves both towns pinning their hopes on community volunteers taking over the running of the attractions.