Market Drayton's former Lloyds Bank could reopen as new Post Office 'banking hub'
Plans have been submitted to transform a former Lloyds Bank branch in Market Drayton into a new banking hub.
* This article has been amended. An earlier version incorrectly said that Market Drayton's Natwest bank has closed. The branch is scheduled for closure, but Natwest has committed to keeping it open until a banking hub opens in the town.
Cash Access UK has applied for permission to create the hub at the former Lloyds premises on Cheshire Street.
The Lloyds branch closed on November 27 last year - two years after the nearby Barclays branch shut its doors.
The town's Natwest branch is due to close too, although the company has committed to keeping it open until a banking hub opens in the town.
Plans for the new banking hub were submitted in late October. A design and access statement says the proposed changes to the vacant bank will be "minimal", with the shopfront retained and upgraded with new paint and signage.
A new cash machine is also proposed, in the same location as the Lloyds machine which was removed when the bank vacated the site.
Banking hubs, owned by Cash Access UK and operated by the Post Office, provide communities with weekday access to face-to-face cash and banking services for customers of all major banks.
According to the document, the new banking hub will enhance the appearance of the town centre and help boost footfall. It comes after civic leaders in Market Drayton repeatedly emphasised their ambition to bring activity back to empty retail units in the town.
"The proposal is to keep the same use class and turn the Lloyds Bank at ground floor in a Cash Access UK community Banking Hub," the design and access statement reads.
"Externally the proposed changes are minimal with the shopfront retained as existing and upgraded with new paint and signage.
"There is a new ATM proposed in the same location as the one recently removed when Lloyds Bank vacated the building.
"Works will include re-organising the internal layout to meet Cash Access UK standards. Redecoration of the property will be required to match the branding of the proposed Banking Hub whilst retaining as much of the existing historic fabric as possible.
"The property is currently vacant, and the proposals will improve the appearance and footfall in the area. The proposals have been developed with a conservation-led approach, aiming to preserve the building’s significance while ensuring its continued use as a viable commercial property."
In the wake of the Lloyds branch's closure Market Drayton residents told the Shropshire Star they feared life would be "made harder" and North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan said the town needed a banking hub to help it "thrive".
The Market Drayton branch was one of 292 branches across the country closed by Lloyds Banking Group.
The planning application can be read on Shropshire Council's planning portal (reference number 25/04084/FUL).
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