Bath Post Office closes 1 September, two branches return

Bath will have no Post Office in its city centre from Tuesday 1 September. The branch inside TG Jones at 6-7 Union Street closes that day. The Post Office’s own letter to customers records it as an unplanned closure, caused by its retail partner’s restructuring plan rather than by any local decision (Post Office information letter).

The two alternatives the Post Office names in that letter are Lower Weston, at 41 Newbridge Road, and Battle Walk in Lansdown. It puts them approximately 1.3 miles and 2 miles from Union Street.

A second Bath branch has already gone. Larkhall Post Office, at 7 Lambridge Buildings, closed on Tuesday 23 June 2026 “for operational reasons”. The Post Office did not write to customers until 16 July, and apologised in that letter “for the late notification on this occasion” (Post Office information letter, 16 July 2026). It says it is working to restore services there, and points Larkhall customers to Batheaston, 1.4 miles away, or Bathampton, 2 miles.

Two branches do have reopening dates

The picture is not all one way. Two branches that closed earlier now have firm dates and addresses, both published in the past fortnight.

• Moorfields, Bath. Reopening Monday 5 October 2026 at 1pm at Londis, 22 Moorland Road, BA2 3PW. The branch closed in April 2025, when it was inside Morrisons at 46-48 Moorland Road. Opening hours will be 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday, with level access and an automatic door (Post Office letter).
• Chew Magna. Reopening Monday 26 October 2026 at 1pm at the Chew Valley Pet Hub, Glebe House, Harford Square, BS40 8RA. The branch closed in March 2026 at 2 South Parade. Hours will be 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday. There are steps at the entrance now, and the Post Office says building work will open up level access at the rear (Post Office letter).

Both are open for comment, but only on access. The Post Office is explicit that reopening in a new location is “a commercial decision” it is not seeking views on. Comments close on Wednesday 9 September for Moorfields and Wednesday 16 September for Chew Magna.

No date for the city centre

Bath’s city centre is the gap. Councillor Kevin Guy, the council leader, met the Post Office in early August. Senior officers, cabinet members and Bath BID’s chief executive went too. The council then published what it had been told. The Post Office “has received several expressions of interest in running a new facility and is currently reviewing these”, and that process “takes an average of six months” (B&NES Council, 7 August 2026).

Six months from that meeting is February 2027. The Post Office’s own letter, sent to Union Street customers, says only that it is “currently in the early stages of reviewing applications” and will update “as soon as possible”. It sets no date.

Councillor Guy said the council would “offer the Post Office any support we have available to help them reopen a Bath city centre branch”.

Allison Herbert, chief executive of Bath BID, was at the meeting. She said locating services “in places which are well served by public transport is helpful and supports the ongoing success of town and city centres”.

What it means for you

If you use Union Street, the Post Office says the branch is due to close on Tuesday 1 September. The day before is the August bank holiday, so do not leave a counter errand to the last week. After it goes, the nearest branches the Post Office itself names are Lower Weston and Battle Walk. Neither is a short walk from the middle of town. Lower Weston opens 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 9am to noon on Saturday, and has steps at the entrance. Battle Walk is open 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 8pm on Sunday, with level access.

Two practical points. Neither branch offers the full range. The Post Office lists both as excluding Passport Check & Send, vehicle tax and most travel money, so a passport application or a car tax renewal means going further afield, or online. And branch hours change, so check the Post Office branch finder before you set out.

If you want to comment on access at the Moorland Road or Chew Magna branches, the questionnaires are on the Post Office consultation hub and the deadlines are 9 and 16 September. If you live in Larkhall, there is nothing to respond to: that closure was a notification, not a consultation, and no replacement has been announced.

Getting into town for a counter is about to cost more, too. Residents’ parking permits are priced by vehicle size from 25 August. Our roadworks and travel page has the current closures, park and ride fares and Clean Air Zone rules.

Sources

• Bath BA1 1RT branch notification and information letter, Post Office Ltd, opened 24 July 2026, for the 1 September closing date, the TG Jones restructuring, the alternative branches and their hours, access and service limits.
• Larkhall BA1 6RS branch notification and information letter, Post Office Ltd, 16 July 2026, for the 23 June closure, the apology for late notification and the Batheaston and Bathampton alternatives.
• Moorfields BA2 3PN engagement, Post Office Ltd, opened 12 August 2026, for the 5 October reopening, the Londis address, opening hours, access and the 9 September comment deadline.
• Chew Magna BS40 8SH engagement, Post Office Ltd, update letter 19 August 2026, for the 26 October reopening, the Chew Valley Pet Hub address, opening hours, access works and the 16 September comment deadline.
• Council calls for swift action on new central Post Office for Bath, Bath & North East Somerset Council, 7 August 2026, for the meeting, the expressions of interest, the six-month average and the quotes.