Residents this week vowed to fight to save Macclesfield’s Post Office after bosses revealed plans to close it.

Proposals have been unveiled to shut the town Crown branch on Castle Street and instead move services to the WHSmith Shop on Mill Street.

The plans have met with an angry response from residents.

The current branch is a Crown post office, one of 340 around the country still run by the Post Office rather than by a private company as a franchise.

Bosses say the post office has been operating at a loss for years and has to move.

They say that WHSmith will have a duty to provide the same services as the Crown branch if they take over the running of the branch.

But residents and town leaders have reacted angrily to the plans.

Fiona Bailey, who helps run the Treacle Market, believes a town of Macclesfield’s size needs its own dedicated Crown post office. She said: “I have concerns when things are hived off like this. The beauty of a dedicated post office particularly for elderly people is that you know what you’re getting and staff are trained to help.

“Post offices are places where people can go to meet and it’s important for Macclesfield’s high street.

“This is another service being lost from the town - once it’s gone it’s gone.”

Macclesfield mayor Coun Janet Jackson urged people to fight to keep the Crown post office.

She said: “WHSmith is such a long and narrow shop and I know what the queues are like in the post office.

“I worry about disabled people and older residents.

“I’m concerned services will be reduced, there will be a loss of staff.

“I urge people to fight for the vital service.”

The branch has been in its current home for around 30 years. Before that it was based across the road in the former Cheshire Building Society.

Readers also reacted angrily on our Facebook page to the proposals.

David Hasler said: “I use the post office for currency, parcels and it’s always busy. To close it is yet another nail in Macc’s main trading area.”

Sharon Pollard said: “How ridiculous, it’s packed all the time, and where in Smiths is the queue going?”

Kim Prince said: “How on earth can WH Smith accommodate the current customers’ requirements?”

Other people raised concerns over how the post office service could be accommodated at WHSmiths Mill Street shop.

Dominic Anderson, deputy chief executive of Age UK Cheshire East, said the post office is important to older people and must have good access.

Geoff Gray, from Macclesfield Accessibility Group, said: “They need to consider the layout of the shop.”

A public exhibition will be held at Macclesfield Town Hall on Thursday as part of the Post Office’s consultation into the plans.

A Post Office spokesman admitted the group may have to rethink the proposals if there is enough public opposition.

The move comes after it was revealed that an earlier bid by the Heritage Centre to run the post office had failed.

MP David Rutley said: “I’m disappointed the community-based bid was unsuccessful and I’ll work to ensure the proposals are right for Macclesfield.

“It’s a vital service and I urge people to fight for it.”

If the plans go ahead, the new branch would open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 3pm on Sundays.

The shop would undergo a refurbishment to accommodate the branch on the ground floor. Bosses say it will be easily accessible with an automatic door and low-levels. It would have six counters, two screened and four open-plan. There are 10 counters at the current branch but bosses say only six are used regularly. There will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the move.

Roger Gale, Crown Network general manager, said: “We are committed to keeping a Post Office branch in Macclesfield and maintaining the same levels of service for our customers.”

WHSmith has been operating post offices since 2007 and currently run over 100 branches. A spokesman said the firm cannot yet comment on jobs at the new branch.

The consultation will close on December 23 and relocation has been proposed to go ahead in March 2015.

Email comments@postoffice.co.uk or call 08457 22 33 44. The customer forum is at Macclesfield Town Hall tomorrow (Thursday) from 4pm to 7.30pm.