Published: Tuesday, 12th August, 2008 12:34pm

New public meeting announced

by Roisin McGroarty

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Anxious Prestwick residents will be able to get their say on the closure plans of their post office.

Brian Donohoe MP will chairing a public meeting regarding the closure of his Moorfield Post Office next week.

He said: 'I hope that residents from the Moorfield Road area will turn up in significant numbers since I am anxious to gain real insight into how the Post Office"s plans will impact on the neighbourhood.

'I have always expressed my concern about the plans for this and other post office closures in my constituency, and I am determined to fight to keep the branches open if that"s what local people want. We are now midway through the six week period of consultation, so we must focus our minds on this issue.

'The best way of doing this is by gathering in public and sharing our views. I will be listening closely and will pass on the mood of the meeting to the post office.

'At issue in Prestwick is the post office"s claim that the Moorfield Road branch conducts significantly less business than the new Prestwick branch, which they say is more than twice as busy as Moorfield Road but is only a quarter of a mile away.

'According to the criteria they are using to evaluate unnecessary branches nearby, this puts Moorfield Road in the firing line. The post office also believes transport links are sufficient to make New Prestwick a viable alternative for residents. But are they right?

'I want to hear from people who use the post office on a regular basis to discover what the closure would mean in real terms for them. Inevitably there may be individual factors that the Post Office hasn"t considered, so please do come along to share your experiences and fears.'

The public meeting to discuss the Moorfield Post Office closure will be held at 7pm on Thursday, August 21 at the Biggart Hospital Board Room on Prestwick"s Biggart Road.