Another Blow for Orpington High Street as Last Post Office Set to Close
Orpington High Street is set to lose another important service, with its only remaining Post Office branch due to close on Wednesday 28 October.
The branch currently operates from inside TG Jones at 189–193 High Street – the store known to generations of Orpington residents as WHSmith before its recent change of name.
TG Jones is now preparing to close the Orpington store, meaning the Post Office operating inside it will disappear at the same time.
For a High Street already struggling with empty units, the loss of familiar retailers and continuing uncertainty over the future of the Walnuts Shopping Centre, this represents yet another blow.
At Reform UK Orpington, we believe our town deserves better.
Another Familiar Name Disappears
The immediate reason for the closure is TG Jones’ decision to shut its Orpington store.
The retailer had a restructuring plan approved by the High Court in July, involving negotiations over commercial terms with landlords across much of its estate.
The Post Office has confirmed that the resulting closure of the Orpington store means its branch will also close on 28 October.
What is happening to Orpington High Street?
Shops have disappeared, banks have closed and empty units have become an increasingly familiar sight.
Now a large and busy town centre which has had a Post Office for generations faces the prospect of having no Post Office at all.
What About Older Residents?
For many people, the closure will be an inconvenience.
For others, particularly some of our older and less mobile residents, its impact could be considerably greater.
Post Offices remain important for people who prefer or need face-to-face services, including access to cash and banking facilities.
That role has arguably become more important as traditional bank branches have disappeared from High Streets.
Orpington town centre is also a natural destination for residents from across the surrounding area, with numerous bus services bringing people into the High Street.
Someone can currently visit the Post Office while also doing their shopping, visiting a pharmacy, accessing other services or simply spending time in the town centre.
Telling those residents that other Post Office branches exist elsewhere in Orpington doesn’t necessarily provide an equivalent alternative.
A town-centre Post Office matters.
Alternative Post Offices Will Remain
The Post Office has identified three alternative branches for customers:
- Ramsden Post Office, Eldred Drive
- Tile Post Office, Tile Farm Road
- Borkwood Post Office, Crescent Way
Those branches will undoubtedly provide an important service.
Ramsden Post Office has already reassured local residents that it offers postal and parcel services alongside cash withdrawals, deposits and major banking services.
We welcome the work these local Post Offices do.
But their existence doesn’t alter the fundamental question:
Should a town centre the size of Orpington really be without a Post Office?
We don’t believe it should.
How Many More Services Can Orpington High Street Lose?
The closure cannot be viewed entirely in isolation.
Orpington residents don’t need statistics to tell them that the High Street has problems. They can see them.
Too many familiar shops have disappeared. Too many premises stand empty or offer little to draw people into the town centre.
Meanwhile, the future redevelopment of the Walnuts has been discussed for years without the transformation of the northern end of the High Street that Orpington desperately needs.
Even Bromley Council’s own retail research has recognised weaknesses within this part of the town centre, including vacancies, poorer-quality retail space, weaker footfall and a less attractive overall offer.
The Post Office is simply the latest loss.
And every time another reason to visit the High Street disappears, maintaining a thriving town centre becomes that little bit harder.
Orpington Deserves Better
Bromley Council cannot force TG Jones to remain open and it cannot compel the Post Office to operate from a particular shop.
We aren’t going to pretend otherwise.
But after decades of Conservative control of Bromley Council, it is entirely reasonable to judge the administration on the overall direction of one of the borough’s major town centres.
Orpington High Street needs investment, regeneration and reasons for people to visit.
It needs a sensible plan that encourages businesses to come here, supports those already trading and protects the essential services residents still depend upon.
Instead, another familiar name is preparing to disappear.
Orpington deserves a thriving High Street – not the managed decline of services residents have relied upon for generations.
The Post Office says potential replacement operators have already come forward. That is welcome news, and we sincerely hope it results in a new branch opening in the heart of Orpington as quickly as possible.
This is also one issue where party politics shouldn’t get in the way. Other local political groups have expressed concern about losing the branch too.
On this, surely we should all be able to agree:
A major town centre like Orpington should have a Post Office.
And Reform UK Orpington will continue to make the case for a High Street that residents can once again be proud of.