Brentwood's Post Office counter in TG Jones at the Baytree Centre closes on 5 January 2027. The nearest alternative listed is Warley Hill, 0.7 miles away.

Brentwood’s town centre Post Office will close on Tuesday 5 January 2027.

Updated 31 October: the council has offered the Post Office temporary units in the Baytree Centre until April 2028, and help finding a permanent High Street home. The TG Jones shop itself closes on 12 January, the council says. Full story.

The branch is the counter inside TG Jones at 1-2 Baytree Centre, CM14 4BX. Post Office Limited says the closure follows the restructuring plan announced by TG Jones, under which some of its stores will shut. The Brentwood store is one of them.

The Post Office published its information letter on 13 October. It calls the closure “unplanned”, which is its term for a branch shut by the retailer rather than by the Post Office itself (Post Office, Brentwood branch information letter).

Will there be a replacement?

Not yet, and nothing is promised. The letter says the Post Office is “working hard to find a solution” and is “in the early stages of reviewing applications to run the Post Office branch”. It will give a further update “as soon as possible”.

There is a catch in the small print. For an unplanned closure, the Post Office says it reviews the area on current usage and the availability of a replacement. Whether to look for a new branch at all is “a commercial decision”, and it “will not be subject to public consultation”. So residents will be told the outcome, not asked.

Where to go instead

The letter names two alternative branches:

Alternative Post Office branches named by Post Office Limited for Brentwood
BranchDistanceOpening hoursWhat it does not offer
Warley Hill, 19 Warley Hill, CM14 5HRAbout 0.7 milesMon to Sat 9am to 5.30pmPassport Check and Send, vehicle tax, on demand travel insurance and the full travel money range
Harold Hill, 17 Farnham Road, Romford, RM3 8EJAbout 4.2 milesMon to Fri 9am to 5.30pm, Sat 9am to 12.30pmNothing listed: a similar range of services

Source: Post Office information letter, Brentwood branch, October 2026.

Warley Hill is the obvious walk for posting a parcel or paying a bill. The Post Office says it has a wide door and a step at the entrance, and time-restricted parking nearby.

Harold Hill, in the London Borough of Havering about four miles south west of Brentwood, is the only alternative on the list that offers the full range. It has level access and dedicated disabled parking.

What it means for you

  • Until 5 January, nothing changes. The Baytree Centre counter stays open, so use it for anything that needs the full range, such as passport Check and Send or vehicle tax, before Christmas.
  • After that, the nearest counter is Warley Hill. It handles most everyday post and banking, but not passports or vehicle tax.
  • For passports and vehicle tax over the counter, the named alternative is Harold Hill. Both can also be done online through GOV.UK. The Post Office branch finder at postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder shows every branch and what each one offers.
  • To raise a concern, email comments@postoffice.co.uk, write to FREEPOST Your Comments, or call 03452 66 01 15. The Post Office says comments are not kept confidential unless marked “In Confidence”. The notification on its consultation site runs until 5 January 2027 (Post Office Views, Brentwood CM14 4BX).

The closure comes as the Baytree Centre itself is heading for redevelopment. Our story on the council’s plan for the shopping centre is here.

We will report what the Post Office decides about a replacement branch when it publishes it.