Safety fears over falling masonry from Hastings town centre building

Julian Hughes said he found fallen masonry on the pavement by the old post office building in Cambridge Road during the Easter weekend.

The branch closed more than a decade ago.

Julian said: “I often cut through Priory Street and on this occasion I was greeted by fallen masonry littering the pavement from the concrete mouldings above, surrounding the old post office building.”

He added that no masonry fell on him but it ‘could have done’ and added that a similar incident ‘will happen again’ unless the building is made safe.

The town centre post office in Cambridge Road closed in March 2014 and moved to a new base within WH Smith in Priory Meadow.

Campaigners had fought for almost a year to save it from closing after bosses from Post Office Ltd announced that the branch would be one of 70 Crown branches that would be run from within stores.

A petition signed by almost 7,000 people was handed over to Post Office management in November 2013. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have also staged a dozen strikes at the Cambridge Road branch in protest when the proposals were first revealed.

The Cambridge Road post office opened in February 1930 after three years of building.

A Hastings Borough Council spokesperson said: “This matter has been passed to our Planning Enforcement Team who will investigate the matter and respond in due course.”

Dangerous structures can be reported online by going to https://www.hastings.gov.uk/buildingcontrol/dangerousstructures.