Lee is set to get at least one of the new style futuristic post boxes which are being rolled out nationwide.
The boxes are modified so as well as taking letters, they also take small parcels up to the size of a shoebox. Parcels go in a new drop-down drawer that opens when you scan in a barcode. They are solar powered and equipped with a 4G aerial to validate the barcodes.
Only newer boxes installed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, which have a jutting out aperture, are suitable for conversion.
Matt Proctor, a member of theLetter Box Study Group, says only a handful of local boxes in Lee are likely to be converted., However, one on Effingham Road at the junction with Wantage Road has already been sealed up prior to the changeover.
He says other local potential candidates for conversion include:
- at the bottom of Lee Terrace
- on Lee Road (near Priory Park)
- at the Old Tigers Head junction (near the Post Office)
- Woodyates Road
David Ford has asked Royal Mail for reassurance that the “heritage” post boxes – installed under the reign of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII – will be preserved. Lee Manor has several heritage boxes including a Victorian one on Handen Road, and Edward VII ones on Southbrook and Micheldever Roads.
Matt Proctor says that although these older pillar boxes are not listed, there is an agreement between Royal Mail and Historic England that they should be kept.