Plans to move the post office in Alston have now been confirmed.

The post office will move next door to the Crown Hotel on Front Street at the end of February.

The move will also see the building open for an extra 14 hours per week and will bring an end to lunchtime closing.

Kenny Lamont, Post Office area change manager said: “We are making it easier for customers to get their cash, send and collect their mail and do their banking because we know how important these services are to local residents.

“We are confident that this vibrant new-style post office at the heart of the local community will meet customer needs.”

County councillor for Alston, Claire Driver, supported the relocation. “I feel very positive about the future of the post office in Alston, and the relocation can breath new life into the service,” she said.

Talks about the future of Alston’s post office have been ongoing ever since a public consultation was opened last year.

The relocation will also bring an open-plan store layout and opening hours on seven days a week.

The facility will move to the new premises on Monday, February 24.

Residents had raised concerns about the potential relocation of the Royal Mail sorting office to Brampton, along with Alston Moor postal workers.

Royal Mail was in discussions with the Post Office about how to accommodate its services, and mail collection facilities in the community.

And last week, Royal Mail confirmed that the collection services would also be moving to the new post office location on Alston’s Front Street, and therefore there would be no disruption to the service.