‘Post office is the glue holding what’s left of the village together’
THEY have, between them, almost 600 years of trading history in the historic city village — some boast deep family links with the area dating back a century.
Now they are facing what they say is the single biggest threat in a generation to their village, their livelihoods, and to almost 90 jobs.
But the traders of Blackpool village in Cork City have vowed to fight, “all the way”, plans to relocate the village post office to a nearby shopping centre.
“We’re not going to take this lying down,” local shopkeeper Jer Buckley said last night.
His warning came despite confirmation from An Post yesterday that the new post office will open on Feb 11, as planned, in a unit in Blackpool shopping centre.
An Post spokesman Angus Laverty said the company advertised in a fair and open manner the contract to run the post office when the vacancy arose. Tom Scally, who runs SuperValu in Blackrock and its post office, as well as a shop in Douglas, was the successful applicant.
Mr Laverty said most of the people who use Blackpool post office live near the shopping centre and shop there. “It is a short distance away and makes perfect sense to locate the post office there,” he said.
However, a local petition to retain the post office in the village has gathered some 3,000 signatures.
And Mr Buckley, who 17 years ago took over the local Centra known as the Pantry, said locals are not giving up without a fight. “The post office is the glue that holds what’s left of Blackpool together,” he said.
“It is one of the biggest single footfall drivers in the area. If it is taken away, there is a risk that other businesses will collapse and we will be left with a ghetto.”
Among the business owners backing the campaign are George Kingston, whose family has run the village butcher shop for almost 60 years; Tom Dennehy, whose family have run the fish shop for 75 years, and community council chairman, Bill Dunlea, whose family run the Coffee Pot.
“If the post office moves from the village, I don’t think you’ll ever see a thriving village here again,” Mr Dunlea said.
O’Shea’s Pharmacy has been in the village since 1930. Pharmacist Tadhg O’Leary took it over 10 years ago. “The post office has been in the village for almost 100 years. It’s the lifeblood of the village,” he said.
“It’s the third busiest in the city, so it is doing very well in its current location.
“The shopping centre is doing very well and fair play to them. But the village is more of a neighbourhood centre.
“The shopping centre has the likes of Argos, Maplin, and Dunnes who are well able to drive their own footfall. I don’t think they need a post office. We have to keep what we have.”
The traders criticised An Post for its lack of consultation over the relocation, as well as the Love family which developed the shopping centre several years ago. Many traders said they supported its development after reassurances from the Love family that it would help rejuvenate Blackpool village.
But it’s had the opposite effect, they said, sucking several businesses, including a Bank of Ireland branch, an AIB branch, and an XtraVision outlet, out of the village.
“Now it’s trying to take our post office,” Mr Buckley said.
“It has cannibalised the village. It is tearing away at the very fabric of the village.”
Mr Scally was unavailable for comment yesterday but Cllr Joe Kavanagh (FG) was nominated by city councillors to liaise with him. Mr Kavanagh said Mr Scally’s position is that he is an employee of An Post and doesn’t have a say on where the branch is located.
“He is anxious to retain the goodwill of people in the area but it appears the location of the new branch is a matter for An Post,” Mr Kavanagh said.
Local TDs were due to meet with An Post officials in Dublin yesterday to discuss the issue.
*Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has asked An Post to explain its tendering process which could result in Blackpool village losing its post office after meeting Cork North Central TDs Jonathan O’Brien, Billy Kelleher and Dara Murphy.
It is also understood that city planners, who drew up a rejuvenation plan for the village two years ago, have expressed concern because the retention of a post office is a vital part of the strategy.
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