Plans for a banking hub to be built on Sidcup High Street have been submitted to Bexley Council.
Sidcup residents will likely be hoping the plans are approved, as on Monday (August 9) Santander closed its Sidcup branch. It closed less than a week after the closure was announced by the bank.
Santander justified the closure by stating that 95 per cent of its Sidcup customers used a variety of ways to do their banking, 78 per cent used online, mobile or telephone banking, and 49 per cent also used another Santander branch.
Santander was the last remaining bank on Sidcup High Street, but a banking hub would give residents and local businesses the access to basic banking services again.
The hub would be located in the former HSBC unit at 85 Sidcup High Street and it would likely be operated by the Post Office, according to planning documents. HSBC closed the premises in 2022 and it has been vacant ever since.
The applicant for the banking hub plans is Cash Access UK Limited. Planning documents state: “Cash Access UK Limited is a not-for-profit company set up by a number of UK banks and building societies to enable consumers and small businesses to access cash, deposit and basic banking services where they are needed across the UK.
“The company will facilitate the provision of a range of services including shared banking spaces on local high streets.”
