Alton's town centre Post Office inside TG Jones in Westbrook Walk will close, with no date yet. Neither named alternative offers passports or vehicle tax.

Alton’s town centre Post Office is to close. The branch is inside the TG Jones shop at Unit 6-7 Westbrook Walk. The Post Office told customers in a letter published on Tuesday 20 October that it is “due to close shortly before the store closes”.

Alton is about 11 miles north of Petersfield.

No date has been set. The Post Office says it is working with TG Jones to confirm one, and that it is “likely to be in the next few months”. The letter is on its consultation hub page for the branch, branch number 123904.

The closure follows the restructuring plan of TG Jones, the Post Office’s retail partner in the shop. The Post Office says it is “in the early stages of reviewing applications to run the Post Office branch” and will give an update “as soon as possible”.

It comes after M&S said its Simply Food store in Alton will close in January.

Where to go instead

The letter names two alternatives:

Branch Distance Opening hours
Raven Square Post Office, 27-28 Raven Square, GU34 2LL about 1.1 miles Mon to Sun 9am to 9pm
Holybourne Post Office, 130 London Road, Holybourne, GU34 4ES about 1.7 miles Mon to Fri 8.30am to 5pm, Sat 8.30am to 12.30pm, closed Sunday

Neither offers everything Westbrook Walk does. The Post Office says both exclude:

  • the full range of travel money
  • Passport Check and Send
  • vehicle tax
  • on-demand travel insurance

Both have a wide door, level access and parking nearby, with local buses serving the area.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. The Westbrook Walk counter keeps trading until the Post Office announces a date. Posters in the branch will give it.
  • Passports and vehicle tax: once the branch closes, neither named alternative will offer them. If you need either soon, use Westbrook Walk while it is open, or check the Post Office branch finder for the nearest branch that does.
  • Evenings and Sundays: Raven Square opens every day until 9pm.

How to have your say

This is filed as an unplanned closure. Under the Post Office’s own rules, whether to replace the service “will be a commercial decision” and “will not be subject to public consultation”, the letter says. You can still send questions and comments to its National Consultation Team:

  • email comments@postoffice.co.uk
  • write to FREEPOST Your Comments
  • call 03452 66 01 15

Comments are not kept confidential unless you mark them “In Confidence”. The Post Office says it will write to local representatives again once it has news about a replacement. We will update this story when it does.

Sources