An Post weighs up move away from sorting office in Limerick after 26 years

AN POST is weighing up a move away from its current city sorting office into a new state-of-the-art premises.

As things stand, people in the city needing to collect parcels or mail which cannot be delivered in person must go to the firm’s depot at Docklands Business Park near Dolan’s on Dock Road.

But this looks set to change, with a spokesperson for the mail firm stating: “As parcel volumes continue to grow, we need more space and better facilities. We are planning for the future and exploring alternative sites and facilities.”

The Dock Road delivery unit has been open since 1999.

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Before that, people in the city wanting to collect mail could do so beside Limerick’s general post office in Lower Cecil Street, on land which is now home to Gardens International.

Conditional planning permission has been granted by council for a warehouse to accommodate a delivery services unit at Alandale Road, in Courtbrack, near Mary Immaculate College.

While An Post is not the applicant, documents provided to council planners show images of a new delivery unit with the company’s branding on it.

Data is also provided by the postal service to support the application.

This includes details of the creation of 14 new staff to accompany the existing 33 who work around-the-clock in Dock Road.

Twenty four new delivery vans will be added to the An Post fleet, bringing the total number of vans using this new unit, if it goes ahead, to 132.

The plans provide for 139 electric vehicle charging stations.

Referring to the application granted by council, the An Post spokesperson added: “In Limerick we are looking at a range of options including a new site for our mails operations, and our existing facility at Dock Road. We have sought planning permission for a possible new development with this in mind. But the project is still in its early stages, and will take a number of years to complete.”

Limerick City and County Council gave the warehouse development permission subject to seven conditions.

The permission to develop expires in March 2029.