Plans have been submitted to gut a bank's branch in Dereham which is set to close.
An application has been submitted to Breckland Council for the work at the home of Barclays in a grade II listed building at 34 Market Place.
Last November, the branch announced it was going to close its doors on February 15 as its regular in-person customer base fell to just 16 people.
Barclays said the decision was made because of the rise in online banking, with 88pc of Market Place customers also using the firm's app, website and phone to conduct their banking instead of visiting in-store.
In documents supporting the application for the building situated within a conservation area, it states the proposed work is for the removal of external signage and branding and the external ATM, the aperture to be infilled with brickwork, the letterbox to be sealed internally and a CCTV camera with dome, camera signage and ADT to be removed.
After news of the bank’s closure was announced, there was a range of reactions from across the town - including Ray O’Callaghan, Breckland councillor for Dereham’s Withburga ward, who said if Barclays - which was founded locally - turns it back on Norfolk its customers should go elsewhere.
The document added: “Works to the banking hall are restricted to the public space immediately within the branch. The existing partitions, fixtures, and counters, which are to be removed are themselves modern. The original building fabric will not be altered, removed, or concealed.
“All existing original features will not be affected by the proposed works. The proposed works are intended to return the building to pre-Barclays occupation as much as possible preserving the listed building status.”
Barclay's plans mirror that of the Halifax branch in the town, which is also set to be gutted after its closure was announced in November 2023.
A decision is expected by March 14.
To view all documents on the proposal, visit Breckland's planning portal and look up the reference, 3PL/2024/0054/F
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