Village in danger of having no shop selling 'basics' in Main Street

8:38am Sunday 18th May 2008

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FULFORD residents are in danger of being left without any general convenience stores, it was warned today.

Plans have been submitted to turn the former post office in Main Street into a physiotherapist's practice.

But local councillor Keith Aspden has referred the application to a planning committee, saying residents could lose out if the proposal gets the go-ahead.

He said: "The local community, having been really disappointed to lose our post office which also sold basic necessities, will be concerned that we will no longer have a shop on the Main Street that sells bread and milk and basic things that residents want.

"I have called in the application to change the use to a physiotherapist, to give the parish council and residents the opportunity to air their feelings about this before any decision is made."

Fulford post office closed in March, despite a lengthy and impassioned campaign to save it.

The Rabbani family, which ran the Fulford office, has now taken over the one in nearby Broadway, and today revealed they were considering running a grocery delivery service. Aasif Rabbani said they were also aiming to extend the post office's opening hours next month, so it will open from 8.30am to 7.30pm, instead of the current hours of 9am to 5.30pm.

The family took over the post office and shop on Monday, and Mr Rabbani said business was going well already.

"It's nice to see all our old customers from Fulford, and also to meet new customers," he said.

He said that if a planned newspaper delivery service was a success, they would look into delivering basic groceries such as bread and milk as well.

York MP Hugh Bayley said: "Mr Rabbani provided a brilliant service at Haxby Road and Fulford branches. I received dozens of letters from his customers praising his service to the public which I used to try to persuade Post Office Ltd to keep these post offices open.

"I am sure he will provide a brilliant service at Broadway and I wish him every success in his new post office."

But the branch is not entirely free of problems.

Fishergate councillor Andy D'Agorne has called for the office and the neighbouring Co-op store to take action on a collapsing roadway on their service road.

"Technically, it is on land that is the responsibility of the post office, but the damage is being done mainly by the weight of the Co-op delivery vehicles causing the collapse of an underground sewer," said Coun D'Agorne.

He said Post Office Ltd had stipulated that the branch needs to improve the wheelchair access, but has not done anything to address the problem of the roadway and subsiding frontage.

He said the local ward committee drew up a plan to mark out safe pedestrian access and parking areas on the private frontage but the shops had failed to take the idea forward.

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Do you think Fulford needs a general store in Main Street?