A PLANNING application to make the former Yorkshire Bank building, in Skipton High Street, more appealing to retail tenants has been lodged with Craven District Council.

The plans are to alter the three bottom windows at the front so they are set lower and more conducive to window displays.

Applicant's agent Ian Pawson Ltd, of Barnoldswick said the building was bought by his client, a London company, 22 years ago as a long-term investment. The first floor (front) was separately let to a private company as offices but the ground and remainder of the first floor was let, by way of a simultaneous leaseback, to the Yorkshire Bank for 15 years. Yorkshire Bank vacated the premises in August 2019. Oxfam has rented the building since March 2021 as a drop off point for books on a six monthly lease until a tenant is found.

Mr Pawson added: "In the time since the original planning application, Skipton has lost Lloyds and TSB from Caroline Square, Santander, from the high street and HSBC has reduced its operating hours. Other banks are little more than drop off points with reduced staff. The future of banking with a presence on the high street is limited and may be gone within the next ten years.

"The building has clearly been refurbished and extended since it was erected more than 100 years ago but its front elevation has remained largely untouched. Internally the accommodation is, subject to a little modernisation, ideally suited to retail use. The nature and style of the front elevation is, however, completely incompatible with such use; indeed, the front elevation renders the building unusable by retailers – it is impossible to present any satisfactory display of goods from three narrow windows whose sills that are a metre or more above pavement level.

"The purpose of the exercise is to secure consent for the requisite alterations that would be compatible with both the appearance of the building and the needs of modern-day occupiers so that a scheme of refurbishment can immediately be put in hand in order that a new retail occupier can be secured and a long-term void in the town’s premier retail location avoided."

The proposal will be to enlarge the three central windows, lowering the sills to 500mm above existing finished floor height. The existing banking doors will remain and will be refurbished.

The application is yet to be determined.