Entering the market at a combined price of €700,000, the Loughrea, Athenry and Tuam post offices have been stamped as ‘ready for sale’, but An Post has confirmed that the post offices in these locations will continue trading as normal, despite the sale.
Introduced to the property market by Cushman & Wakefield, the sale of the Tuam, Loughrea and Athenry post offices will, according to a spokesperson from An Post, help to ensure the continuity of trade while creating development opportunities in these towns. The asking prices for Galway’s post offices range from €100,000 for the Tuam property, to €325,000 for Athenry’s post office building, sitting between these two figures is the Loughrea property, which has an asking price of €275,000. An included residential property adjoining the Tuam site has also been listed for sale by private treaty with an asking price of €120,000.
“This sale will ensure continuity of trade in these locations while at the same time providing a significant development opportunity in each town,” said An Post’s spokesperson, who went on to explain that in the ‘bulk of properties offered for sale, the post office occupied a relatively small portion of the overall site’, with local mail delivery offices having long moved to a new purpose built, or fitted, premises elsewhere.
Nationally, An Post has listed a number of premises across the counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary and Cork, for sale.
The properties ‘comprise high profile post office buildings’ in ‘strong market towns’ including Tuam, Athenry, Loughrea in Co Galway, also Ballyhaunis and Westport in Co Mayo; Boyle, Co Roscommon; Bantry, Kinsale, Macroom and Skibbereen in Co Cork; and Roscrea and Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
An Post says that it’s ‘Responsible Divestment Protocol has been followed’ and each post office will remain in-situ as part of the sale.
Expected to ‘generate significant interest’
An Post has said that a ‘key feature’ of the sale of these properties is that they will be sold with the post offices remaining in place. As a result the properties have the added ‘benefit of an income coming from the ground floor post offices’, which will continue to be operated by local post-masters’, whose tenancy will not be affected by the sale. The two exceptions are An Post’s properties in Thurles, Co Tipperary and Ballyhaunis, which are being offered with vacant possession.
Despite being very new to the market, An Post expects that the disposal of these properties will generate significant interest from ‘a wide variety of parties’ due to the ‘significant development opportunity’ that these properties present. Described as being situated in ‘excellent locations in busy towns nationwide’, An Post has highlighted the mixed-development opportunities that these properties could provide.
Lukewarm reception
Despite the enthusiastically positive announcement by An Post detailing the sale and the opportunities it will generate, the news has received a lukewarm reception by some.
Loughrea based business owner and Fine Gael general election candidate, Niamh Madden has called on An Post to ‘fully commit to sustaining post office services’ in Loughrea, Tuam and Athenry, describing the local response to the sale as ‘causing great concern amongst business people operating’ in the local towns affected.
“I have an office just off Main St in Loughrea, and this news is not going down well there. Anyone who knows how rural town centres operate, would be seriously concerned to hear that An Post is selling these buildings.
“It indicates to me that An Post is severing ties with their postal service in each location, even though they’re arguing that services will continue. I’m not convinced by that, and I’m calling on An Post to fully commit to the ongoing provision of postal services in these town centre locations,” said Ms Madden.
Ms Madden went on to say that despite the property brochures for the Loughrea, Athenry and Tuam post offices ‘stressing the possibility of mixed use retail, commercial and residential opportunities’ in these towns, the sale of these properties could also be a ‘Trojan horse’ for the national postal service.
“Yes, it’s perhaps a positive move to open up these buildings to other uses in their town centre locations, but I’m concerned that this may be a Trojan horse, to absolve An Post of its responsibility to provide postal services.
“Towns like Loughrea, Athenry and Tuam need the town centre footfall generated by post offices. We’ve all seen the devastating effect of the hollowing out of commercial life in rural town centres, we can’t let it happen in East Galway.”
