Plans for the future of a former town centre bank left empty for over a year have been revealed.
The ground floor of the former Natwest bank in Devizes Market Place has stood empty, on the corner of St John’s Street, for over a year after the chain closed the branch.
Since then, the site has been marketed by estate agent Stibbard Property, and is still available to lease, while the upper floor remains in use as therapy and consulting rooms.
The Market Place property is “intrinsically linked” to 41 St John’s Street because of the internal layout of the buildings.
READ MORE: NatWest to close Devizes Market Place branch
Applicant Durrington Pension Fund has now submitted plans to Wiltshire Council to make internal alterations to split the properties into smaller retail units, underneath offices.
This would be done by “simplifying the vertical circulation” to make the ground floor a flexible space.
It is hoped this would make these units more attractive to potential occupants and help bring the site back into use.
In their design and access statement, the applicant said: “The driver behind the project is to bring back as much of the buildings into commercially viable use.
“It has been identified that smaller retail units on the ground floor with offices over would be the most attractive to the current demand.”
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