Work underway to convert former Clintons shop in Chelmsford into new Coop bank
Work to convert a card shop on Chelmsford High Street into a brand new bank branch has got underway. The former Clintons store is to become a Co-operative Bank once refurbishment work has finished.
The unit on the High Street has been vacant for several months after Clinton's closed after reducing the size of its UK operations. Planning documents show the unit would get brand new signage and a renovated interior with new ATMs for customers.
Plans for the refurb were approved in March a month after plans were submitted. A new bank in Chelmsford is against the trend of banks closing or reducing their hours of high street branches.
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In their design and access statement, Readhead Architects on behalf of Co-Op said: "We propose to re-purpose the existing ground floor shop unit into a new banking facility with a new meeting rooms and communal spaces at ground floor level.
"The first floor will be retained and the existing storage and kitchen spaces will be used by the new bank. The existing recessed entrance will be made flat - fronted with sliding doors and a new ramp with a shallower gradient to make the bank easier to access for wheelchair and buggy users.
"Other than replacing the shop front and adding illuminated signage, the outward appearance of the street frontage will remain the same. We also propose a new ATM to the left, and clear views into the banking hall beyond."