The site at 73 Holton Road has been vacant since the bank’s closure and has not attracted interest for reuse as another financial or professional services unit.
The approved plans propose converting the building from A2 (financial and professional services) to A1 (retail) and A3 (café/restaurant) use, with no internal or external alterations.
This would allow the site to reopen as a retail unit, coffee shop, or restaurant, but not as a pub or hot food takeaway.
The applicant said in their application that “this application is sought to broaden the market appeal in a bid to attract new occupiers to the building.
“At present the building is sitting vacant within the street and this application seeks to place the building back into use and prevent it detracting from the street scene and area.”
The applicant highlighted that the change of use would support the town centre, providing “meaningful reuse of the site in the public interest.”
Council planning documents note that the main considerations were whether A1/A3 use is appropriate for the location and what impact it might have on the character of the area and neighbouring properties.
The change of use was found to be acceptable given the mix of retail, financial, and food-related businesses already operating along Holton Road.
The planning officer’s report said: “There are a range of A1, A2, and A3 uses in the immediate street scene, and therefore, the proposed change of use will not result in an unacceptable concentration of A3 uses.
“It is considered that the change of use would not unacceptably undermine the retail function of the area, particularly given that the change is from A2.”
Opening hours of 8am to 10pm have been proposed, in line with other similar businesses in the area.
No external changes are proposed, so the appearance of the building and the wider visual character of Holton Road will remain unchanged.
Council officers concluded that the proposal would not have an unacceptable impact on nearby homes, given the town centre setting and the nature of surrounding businesses.
Shared Regulatory Services would have the authority to investigate and address complaints if noise or other issues arise.
