PLANS to regenerate a Grade II-listed former high street bank in Neath Port Talbot have been handed in to the local authority.
If approved, they could see work at the site of the former Barclays Bank in Neath town centre, with the potential for it to be turned in to a new bar and restaurant.
The building is located on The Parade in Neath town centre next to The Castle Hotel and directly opposite the Ambassador Hotel.
It is also just a stone’s throw away from the town’s railway station, as well as the well-known Neath General Market.
The bank was closed in April 2024 after Barclays said 90% of people who used the branch also banked using the app, with the site having 134 customers who used it regularly as the only way to do their banking.
The building is currently said to be unoccupied but is described as retaining features “associated with its previous banking function”.
A section of the application said developers are now proposing a “change of use” for the ground floor of the site with the development of a bar and restaurant inside, along with a beer garden at the rear of the property.
It reads: “The proposal involves internal alterations to facilitate the new use and limited external alterations to the rear to provide access and amenity space for patrons.
“No changes are proposed to the upper floors. The site is a Grade II-listed building within the Neath Town Centre Conservation Area.”
The proposals will now be considered by officers over the coming months before a final decision is made.
They come shortly after the announcement of major proposals from the local council to develop a new transport hub outside of the town’s railway station on Station Square.
This will be designed to serve as a “striking new gateway to Neath town centre, encouraging people to visit, shop, work and explore”.
