By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
IT WAS a battle which embroiled big business, Casey council, Australia Post and shoppers and it has ended in a big win for Shopping on Clyde customers.
After months of campaigning for a post office or sub agency at the new centre on Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Australia Post has announced that discussions are underway to provide a postal presence within an existing business at Shopping on Clyde.
After more than three years of campaigning for a postal service at the centre – which opened in December last year – owner Jodie Mitchell from Clarkson Developments said she is ecstatic about the news.
“I’m thrilled very, very excited and it’s exactly what the community needs, it’s fantastic,” Ms Mitchell said.
In February an Australia Post spokesperson told Star News: “While Australia Post will continue to monitor the needs of the Clyde community, we do not believe an additional post office is required at this point in time.”
But months of community and council action has been rewarded with a service which will deliver a range of postal products, including stamps, prepaid satchels, Express Post satchels and the ability to weigh and send mail and parcels.
In a statement from Australia Post, Victorian Regional Manager Roger Revere said: “We have listened to feedback from the Cranbourne community and will be making a range of postal products and services available from an existing retailer within Shopping on Clyde.”
“Over the next few weeks we’ll be in contact with a number of businesses in the centre to assess their interest and suitability for taking on these services for customers and will communicate the new arrangements as soon as all the necessary details are confirmed,” he said.
After being inundated with requests for a postal facility since the centre opened, Ms Mitchell enlisted the help of the Casey council and presented it a petition of more than 1000 signatures earlier this year.
Ms Mitchell said the centre’s foot traffic reaches up to 8000 people each day.
