What's Happening at the Chiswick Post Office?
Prolonged closure prompts speculation about branch's future
The shop remains open but no postal services are available
May 18, 2025
It is now over two weeks since the Post Office on Heathfield Terrace has been closed and its customers remain in the dark about the reasons.
A notice on the door apologises for the inconvenience and says that they are ‘working hard’ to reopen soon but no explanation is given for the extended interruption in service. It directs customers to other branches in Acton, Ealing and Shepherd’s Bush.
We have approached the Post Office press team on more than one occasion to ask if it could provide more information but haven’t received a response.
The Post Office’s web site shows the Chiswick branch as being closed every day but gives no reason.
When we have asked staff working in the shop within the Post Office premises, we have been given a range of responses including ‘technical issues’ but always been assured that the branch will reopen. Most recently we were told that it may not reopen until the end of the month.
There have been some suggestions locally that the branch may have been the victim of a cyberhack and this is what ‘technical difficulties’ refers to. However, this is understood to be unlikely as the branch uses the same Horizon system as the rest of the network and, although this software has been shown to be very unreliable, any vulnerability to digital intrusion would have occurred at more than one branch.
There has also been reports from property professionals with knowledge of the Chiswick area, that there may be an issue with the renewal of the lease for the building. It is understood that the freehold of 1 Heathfield Terrace formerly belonged to the Royal Mail, but this was sold to property investment company Land Securities Trillium (now TT Group) in February 2007 and leased back to Royal Mail for 15 years. It was part of a deal that included 285 properties with a value of £98 million.
The same company entered a similar deal with British Telecom and was responsible for the redevelopment of Wheatstone House near Chiswick Roundabout. This company owns more than 12,000 properties across the UK which have been valued at over £8 billion.
As the lease came due for expiry in 2022, we spoke to the Sub Postmaster and we were told that the expectation was that an extension would be secured for the lease on a year-by-year basis and that the Post Office would continue to sub-let from Royal Mail for the time-being. However, we were informed at this time that the business was struggling because of the low margin on stamps offered to Sub Postmasters and the fall in revenue from foreign currency exchange due to the pandemic. Staffing levels at the branch were such that it was regularly necessary to shut if there were absences due to illness. The Post Office is partly subsidised by the shop which operates within the premises.
In 2018, the Royal Mail announced its intention to close the delivery office at Heathfield Terrace and switch this operation to Bollo Lane. However, these plans were abandoned apparently after significant objections were lodged including from the Communications Workers Union.
The Chiswick Post Office site has already been earmarked for redevelopment as part of Hounslow Council’s vision for a new town centre. It is part of a ‘civic cluster’ that would include the library, the Town Hall and the Church on Turnham Green. These plans did envisage a community use for the ground floor of 1 Heathfield Terrace but retaining post office services was not specifically mentioned. When the plans were first revealed it was assumed that these would transfer to WH Smith on the High Road, but the recent takeover of that company has cast doubt that the business model that included accepting Post Office counters in branches.
Other than an outline plan, there is nothing to indicate at this stage that these changes are about to be implemented. Under normal circumstances, if the building was to be redeveloped, the Post Office and the Royal Mail delivery office would be allowed to continue to operate during the planning approval process which could be lengthy. Therefore, even if there is a redevelopment scheme in the pipeline it doesn’t necessarily follow that the Chiswick Post Office closure is directly related.
A permanent closure of Chiswick Post Office without any local replacement would have a very negative effect for many residents, particularly those who now rely on it for banking services and bill payments due to branch closures by the High Street banks. Postal services are available from Mailboxes Etc but these can be more expensive than using the Post Office.
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