Plans have been submitted to the district council seeking permission to convert a protected former Barclays branch in Abingdon’s town centre into homes.
The Grade II listed building on the northern side of The Square, referred to as No. 2 The Square, operated as the local Barclays outlet until shutting its doors in February 2024, having served the community continuously for more than a century.
Since the branch closed, the premises have stood vacant, but a new planning submission now aims to return the late-Georgian townhouse to residential use.
The scheme, put forward by Mr Ramesh Patel, would see the protected building converted to comprise eight flats, made up of seven one-bedroom units and a single two-bedroom unit, while retaining the ground floor for commercial office purposes.
The plans also involve erecting a first-floor addition at the back and redeveloping the rear section to provide four further one-bedroom apartments, bringing the overall count to twelve dwellings.
Given the building’s protected status, the conversion would maintain the bank’s external appearance, including its original sash windows and iron balconettes, with only interior alterations required.
Planning paperwork from SD Designs, put together for the applicant, explained that this combined-use approach maintains an active commercial presence at ground level while introducing residential use above, matching the character of the town centre.
The rear redevelopment would involve demolishing the historic Bailey’s shoe repairs business, located in an outbuilding behind the former bank premises.
Bailey’s ran as a family enterprise for over a hundred years, operating from 1903 until the final cobbler retired in 2010.
The application states that the former shoe shop, dating from the early nineteenth century and currently in a generally poor state of repair, would fall outside the listed building curtilage and its demolition is proposed.
It added that the scheme has been designed to respect the character and importance of the listed building and its setting within the conservation area. The new rear structure would be modest in scale and crafted to reduce its visual and physical impact on neighbouring properties.
Two Liberal Democrat councillors on the Vale of White Horse District Council representing Abingdon Abbey Northcourt, Helen Pighills and Caleb Pell, released a combined statement expressing their reservations about the scheme.
Their joint statement noted that while they support bringing this unused building back into use, they have multiple concerns, including the removal of the old shoe shop and its impact on the wider conservation area, insufficient detail in the plans about parking arrangements, and insufficient information about the proposed construction materials.
They have raised these concerns with the council and intend to ask for the application to be reviewed by the planning committee.
The application will remain open for public feedback on the Vale of White Horse District Council website until May 7.