Meeting guides Hoxne post office project towards next steps

The next steps in the future of a village post office are being decided after a meeting was held with members of the community.

Eighty people attended last week’s meeting, with results of a survey showing that, while there is near unanimous support for continuing Hoxne’s post office and shop, only 48 per cent of respondents supported proposals to reopen the cafe.

The results and future plans for the site were published in a newsletter created by the group, which has been working to save the post office since it was put up for sale in late 2022.

The main reason given was the existence and popularity of the nearby Greengold Cafe on Abbey Hill, and a wish to not compete with a local business.

Based on the outcome of the survey and the residents’ meeting, a decision has been taken not to reintroduce the cafe, but to broaden the range on offer in the shop and extend its opening hours.

It was also agreed that the post office be a place for local people to meet and for its social impact to be preserved and extended.

A full-time employee, supported by volunteers, is planned to meet staffing requirements.

It has been confirmed that the local residents who form the community group behind the campaign to save the amenity will be applying to the Government’s Community Ownership Fund in order to secure the venture.

A community share scheme will be one of the key ways in which funds will be raised, with the hope that the Government scheme will see each pound matched.

The post office is scheduled to reopen in the new year.