Plans have been submitted to transform Reading’s empty post office into a medical centre for those applying for disability benefits.

The Market Place crown post office was closed in May 2019, with a new post office set up inside the WHSmith on Broad Street.

Disabled campaigners, councillors and MPs had called for the post office to stay open, raising concerns about access to the new post office inside WHSmith.

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The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) now wants to turn the old post office at 21-22 Market Place into a medical assessment centre where a doctors, nurses and physiotherapists will look at disability claimants’ entitlement to benefits.

The plans have been submitted by Cushman and Wakefield on behalf of the DWP.

Adam Pyrke, a partner at Cushman and Wakefield, said: “The proposed use will bring forward significant benefits for the local community by ensuring that these important assessments can be undertaken in a central and accessible location.”

The centre would aim to provide impartial assessment reports which provide justified medical opinions about how individuals are affected by their medical condition, according to the DWP.

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The DWP say the reports are just one piece of information used to decide an individual’s entitlement.

A reception, waiting area and private assessment rooms are included in the plans.

Disabled campaigners, councillors and MPs had called for the post office to stay open, raising concerns about access to the new post office inside WHSmith.