The closure of the last remaining bank in a Norfolk town has edged nearer, after the go-ahead was given for the branch to be decommissioned.

Harleston's Barclays bank is due to close by May this year and the banking company has been granted permission to decommission the Market Place building.

Officers at South Norfolk Council gave the green light for changes to the building, which is locally listed and within a conservation area.

READ MORE: Plans submitted to gut Barclays bank branch in Dereham

The granting of permission means the existing ATM on the three-storey building can be removed, along with signs and various panels.

Inside the building, the cashier counters can be taken out, along with fixtures and furniture.

Eastern Daily Press: The Barclays bank in Harleston is to closeThe Barclays bank in Harleston is to close (Image: Bill Smith)

Harleston Parish Council had said it had no objections to permission being granted in planning terms.

But, in its submission to South Norfolk Council, it said it wished to "express its regret" at the closure of the last of the town's High Street banks.

Members of the council said that they looked forward to future proposals for "a sympathetic use of this prominent building in the conservation area".

The town's HSBC and Nationwide banks closed their doors in recent years.