A POST office in York is finally set to reopen – more than 18 months after closing down “temporarily”.

Post Office Ltd is consulting the public over plans to reopen the Tang Hall Lane post office branch at a Co-op store, about 350 yards from its previous location at Tang Hall Lane Newsagents.

A spokeswoman said the branch closed temporarily in February last year when the subpostmaster resigned, and the premises were withdrawn for Post Office use.

She said: “Since then, we have been working hard to find a suitable location to reopen a branch in the area.”

She said the new branch would be a “Post Office local”, a new concept for delivering Post Office services, operated from an open-plan counter.

“Services will include banking services, automated bill and budget payment schemes. Post Office customers will also benefit from extended opening hours, including Saturday afternoon and Sunday opening, and longer opening times throughout the week.”

She said that during the public consultation, which closes on October 16, Post Office Ltd would welcome feedback on any issues customers wanted considered before a final decision was taken.

Submissions can be made by post to Post Office Ltd, c/o NationalConsultation Team, PO Box 1138, St Albans AL1 9UN, through the Customer Helpline: 08457 22 33 44 or Textphone 08457 22 33 55 or by email to consultation@postoffice.co.uk

York Central MP Hugh Bayley called in March for a Government Minister to intervene and get the post office reopened.

Mel Raper, proprietor of Tang Hall Lane Newsagents, then invited the MP to visit the shop, stressing that it remained open as a newsagency, but the Post Office element had shut because the terms offered by Royal Mail had made it unviable.