Anger at ‘appalling state’ of historic Strabane postal building

ROYAL Mail has pledged to address the dilapidated state of the Strabane Delivery Office on Castle Street, confirming it is ‘undertaking a review’ of the building’s condition.

The move comes after West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan criticised the ‘appalling state’ of the historic Grade B2 listed post office.

Mr McCrossan said he had written to Royal Mail to urge action, stressing that it was their legal duty to maintain the premises.

“Royal Mail has a clear legal responsibility to maintain this building, prevent damage, and preserve its historic character,” Mr McCrossan said.

“Small business owners in Strabane maintain their premises to a high standard. There is no excuse for Royal Mail, a national institution, to allow such a prominent site to fall into this state of disrepair.”

Mr McCrossan further described the building as ‘an eyesore’, alleging it had been left to deteriorate.

He highlighted structural issues and called for the repair of the sash windows, cleaning and maintenance of the brickwork, repainting of faded and peeling surfaces, restoration of the historic door surround, removal of dated shuttering, and fixing of defective guttering.

The Chronicle this week contacted Royal Mail with a series of questions, asking when the building had last undergone refurbishment, what repairs were planned, and when any work was likely to begin.

A spokesperson responded, “We are undertaking a review of the condition of Strabane Delivery Office to assess how it can be improved and, as it is a listed building, what permissions we need to seek to do so.”

The Royal Mail spokesperson did not provide a timeline for completing the review or starting repairs, but said they would keep relevant bodies informed of any progress.