CUSTOMERS of Holybourne sub-post office have been outraged by news that a reclassification by Consignia could force its closure.

A key part of Holybourne Stores, the branch office appears to have fallen victim to a ÒNetwork ReinventionÓ programme, instigated by Consignia to try and streamline the service.

If the post office goes it is likely to spell the end of the village shop. ÒIt will take the life out of the community,Ó said sub-post master, David Edwards who, until a month ago, felt secure in the knowledge that his branch was looked upon as rural.

News that the office had been reclassified came as Òa bombshellÓ for David and wife, Olwen, who for the past five years have run the village store on an independent basis.

ÒThe post office is the mainstay of our business, it provides a regular, guaranteed income. If the post office goes the shop will close down - they feed off each other,Ó said Mr Edwards.

While he has appealed against the reclassification, but to no avail, Holybourne Village Association (HVA) has taken up the cudgel and vowed to fight the case.

Chairman John Bound has sent a letter to head of Network Reinvention, Lynn Hobbs, expressing surprise at the reclassification and asking were criteria was used to make this assessment.

The HVA was amazed, he said, that in the letter of explanation to Mr Edwards, the village of Holybourne had grown from just under 1,500 people (as on the electoral roll) Òto an urban conurbation numbering 10,000Ó.

Like Mr Edwards, the HVA believes it will be harmful to the community to withdraw such a key service.

ÒThe village shop and sub-post office are a vital part of this community, which encompasses many residents with special needs and limited mobility. Holybourne is the location of an unique, and famous, further education college for disabled youngsters, Treloar College.

ÒIn addition, The Lawn, a residential home for the elderly, is located just across the road from the post office and is heavily used by the residents for shopping, pensions and social contact.Ó

The HVA further points out that Holybourne is situated in the rural parish of Froyle and Shalden and many people from this surrounding area, who have lost their own village facilities, use the post office for business transactions as well as standard postal services.

ÒWe believe the classification of our post office to urban is clearly an administrative error and would like to understand how this decision was made and how it can be reversed,Ó concluded the chairman.

According to a spokesperson for Consignia, the Network Reinvention programme has begun by looking at rural and urban classification. Those serving a community of more than 10,000 inhabitants have been awarded urban status.

A special government software package, Geographic Information System, together with other data such as population by district and national census figures, have served to identity the nature of each postal area.

In the case of Holybourne, it appears to have been viewed as a suburb of Alton but, said Mr Bound, most people using the sub-post office come from rural areas to the west or north of the village and not from Alton. The HVA is now preparing to conduct an analysis of users to prove the point.

Meanwhile, according to Consignia, there are around 9,000 offices within the urban network and the aim is to consult with each one of these with a view to providing an updated service. In some cases this could result in mergers, closure, relocation or investment.

If, for example, there are several post offices within a small geographic area, it could result in the closure of some to benefit others.

For Holybourne, the main threat could come from the Manor post office, based at One Stop in Anstey Lane, which is part of the urban network, or Bentley, which looks set to retain its rural classification.

The exercise, said the spokesperson, is expected to take one to two years and sub-post masters should not make any assumptions based on their classification.

But for those like David Edwards, there is a lot at stake. His is the only shop in the village and, if the HVA fails in its bid to get the current urban classification reversed, he is preparing to fight HolybourneÕs corner, not least for the sake of the community he serves.