A NEW post office could soon be built in Dilton Marsh at Fairfield Farm College after a £5,000 grant from Westbury Area Board.

The application, which will be match funded by the college, was put forward by Cllr Jerry Wickham at last week’s meeting.

Cllr Wickham said: “I’m keen to see communities keep their services so I was pretty dismayed when the post office closed in February this year. Since then I’ve been putting feelers out in the community and getting support from people and the rest of it as they say is history.

“The college came forward and said they wanted to have the post office and we actually beat the Post Office themselves in getting things rolling as they eventually approached us about getting one back in the village.

“Of course there might be a few bumps on the way and I don’t think you can give any guarantee it won’t close like it has done in the past, but the college has already got an established shop and it’s important to say that the community has to support it.”

Expected to cost around £10,000, the post office would be housed within the shop and cafe at Fairfield Farm College in High Street. Opened in 1992, Fairfield Farm gives youngsters with learning difficulties a chance to gain practical experience as well as an education.

Principal Dr Tina Pagett said: “Our shop and cafe is about providing a real world experience for our students, but we have been listening to the community and since the village shop closed they want that sort of shop back.

“They’ve been asking us to have more stock that the village shop used to have and they’ve also been saying ‘why can’t we have the post office here?’, and we’ve been listening to these views.

“Having a post office here will benefit everyone. It will mean people won’t have to travel outside the village as much, which in turn boosts footfall for us and gives the students the chance to gain retail experience.

“The plans are in place and we’ve just been cleaning the shop and redecorating it so that we’re all ready for it to happen.”

A 14 week consultation will take place, with the post office expected to open at the start of next year.