DURHAM’S Crown Post Office is set to close this autumn as it moves to a new city centre location.

The Post Office in Silver Street will close in November, moving to the WHSmith in Market Place.

The move means services will be available seven days a week.

Durham City MP Roberta Blackman-Woods, who had campaigned against the move, said: “It’s very disappointing that the Post Office did not listen to the many people who responded to the consultation to say they wanted a Post Office in the centre of Durham. I think people thought there was enough trade to keep that going.”

Roger Gale, general manager for the Post Office’s crown branch network, said the change would ensure the branch’s commercial viability.

He said: “Our customers’ needs continue to change and we are responding to that, taking the right action to sustain our services for years to come.

“We are committed to remaining on high streets and at the heart of communities. We are making changes right across our network to enable us to do so.”

The new branch will be in the basement of the store and will include low-level counters, PIN pads, hearing loops and customer seating.

Dr Blackman-Woods added: “We raised a number of issues with them through the course of the consultation to ensure there’s much better access than would be apparent from the way the shop is laid out at present.

“They came back with a number of reassurances and I will have to monitor it as it goes forward.”

The new branch will have four counters and three self-service kiosks.

It will be open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday and from 10.30am to 2.30pm on Sundays.

The current branch will close on Wednesday, November 2, with the new branch opening at 9am the following day.