A Perth businessman has outlined his ambition to reopen Scone Post Office as soon as alterations to the building are completed.
Ian Morgan, owner of News Direct, had applied to take over the Perth Road branch before the previous operators withdrew the service on Friday January 25.
Mr Morgan, who runs the Bridgend newspaper delivery service, has recently taken on the delivery of 500 newspapers in the Scone area and said his intention was to take over half of the uSave premises and open a second branch there.
However, Post Office bosses have asked him to wait until a wall which once split the premises is reinstalled.
The building was formerly two units – the post office to the left and a rented newsagent shop to the right.
It is understood the previous operators demolished the separating wall, creating one larger unit, and relocated the post office counter to the rented side.
Mr Morgan is now waiting for the wall to be rebuilt and the post office to return to its rightful place before he can reopen.
He said: “We’ve recently taken on the deliveries of newspapers in Scone and I applied to take over the Post Office when its contract was up.
“We want to open an identical branch to our tried and tested Bridgend store, but with a post office as well.
“The closure was as much of a shock to me as anyone else. I’m doing everything possible to reopen the Post Office and restore the service.
“We made an offer subject to the work being done. I’m just waiting on the wall being put back in.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We have had interest from local retailer who is interested in running Scone Post Office but it is very early stages so we are unable to comment further at the moment.
“We would like to reassure customers that we are committed to maintaining vital Post Office services for the local community.”
The former Post Office operators attended a meeting of the Scone and District Community Council last week to explain why they had quit so suddenly.
A community council spokesperson said: “We had a small delegation from the post office. The owner was one of them and she reported to us the whole story of the post office and shop.
“[Ms Naeem] explained that she had tried very had to make the enterprise work, she recognised mistakes were made but this could not go on.
“She felt her enterprise had not been accepted in the community thus leading to the sale of the post office and the shop.”
