ROYAL Mail bosses have insisted they have no plans to desert a North-East town, after a number of jobs were transferred out of the area.

The processing and sorting of mail has been switched from the Royal Mail delivery office, in Darlington, to Gateshead.

This, combined with the inclusion of the St Cuthbert’s Way site in a draft development document as a potential site for future housing developments, had led to speculation about its future.

Plans to transfer the processing and sorting of mail from Darlington to Tyneside were announced more than two years ago and completed this week.

Royal Mail said there were no compulsory redundancies as a result of the move.

It insisted the delivery and collection of mail in Darlington will be unaffected.

The St Cuthbert’s Way site falls within the area identified by Darlington Borough Council for its ‘town centre fringe’ proect, which is at the early stages of development.

Part of the draft local development framework document, the scheme includes a multiplex cinema, hotel and bars, which will be built on land close to the town hall, as well as hundreds of new homes and a park.

But a Royal Mail spokeswoman insisted: “Royal Mail is committed to retaining a presence in Darlington and we have no plans to move our operations.

“Mail processing operations are being transferred to the newly refurbished Tyneside Mail centre at Gateshead.

“This will not affect the delivery of mail in the Darlington area and our collections team also remains at the Darlington delivery office.

“Our programme to modernise is one of the biggest transformations in UK industry currently taking place.

“We need to modernise in response to the decline in the volume of posted mail and to introduce the latest technology to our mail centres.

“The expansion of our Tyneside site represents a significant investment by Royal Mail in services in the North-East and Yorkshire.

“This move is an important part of our programme to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of our operation, by making the best possible use of our buildings, machinery and resources.”

Most staff affected by the move have been able to continue working in the Darlington area.

The spokeswoman added: “A small number chose to transfer to the Tyneside site.

“We will, in line with our business policy, reimburse staff for any extra mileage incurred by the changes in their place of work.”

The changes were introduced following consultation with members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

No one from the Darlington branch of the CWU was available for comment.