Plans for Bishop Auckland branch investment
Date published:
Newcastle Building Society reveals plans for Bishop Auckland branch investment
Newcastle Building Society has revealed details of its plan to transform
the branch experience for customers in a County Durham market town.
Two years ago, the Society moved into its Newgate Street premises in
Bishop Auckland town centre after the Virgin Money branch there closed,
and is now planning a major investment that will deliver a modern, open
plan environment to provide customers with improved access to services,
information, advice and private meeting spaces.
A dedicated community room will also be created and made available, free
of charge, for local people and community groups to use for events and
activities.
To allow for the required work to be carried out, the Bishop Auckland
branch will temporarily close to customers for eight weeks at 1pm on
Friday 15 October, with customers retaining access to services through
nearby branches, as well as over the phone and online.
Work on converting the 1,600 sq ft space will then begin straight away,
with the doors scheduled to reopen to customers in mid-December.
The new project is part of Newcastle Building Society’s ongoing
multi-million pound branch investment programme, which has seen improved
facilities and new branches opening in locations across the North East,
Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
The Bishop Auckland project follows the Society’s upcoming investment in
creating a modern new branch location in West Denton, to the west of
Newcastle, which is due to open in October.
Stuart Miller, chief customer officer of Newcastle Building Society,
says: “Making a significant investment in Bishop Auckland is part of a
wider commitment to maintain and protect financial services in our
region. After an unavoidable delay caused by the pandemic, we’re
extremely pleased to now be able to get on with the refurbishment.
“The redeveloped space will offer our customers everything they would
expect from a modern financial institution, while the community room
we’re including will provide local people, groups and organisations with
a dedicated place in the centre of the town to use for events and
activities without charge.
“We’ve made arrangements to ensure our Bishop Auckland customers can
still gain access to a full range of services while the refurbishment is
taking place and can’t wait to share what the new branch will offer with
everyone in in the town later this year.”
Recent research by Newcastle Building Society found that more than 90%
of UK adults value their high street whilst around 7 in 10 would commit
to spending less online to save their local services.
Stuart Miller continues: “We’re absolutely committed to maintaining
face-to-face financial services on high streets across our region, and
we know from our own research that people see the value of vibrant local
services and share our belief in the importance of high streets.
For more information on the Society’s investment programme or the high
streets research, visit:
https://hes32-ctp.trendmicro.com:443/wis/clicktime/v1/query?url=www.newcastle.co.uk&umid=4b79f660-9029-46bd-b7ed-f75903d43a5a&auth=cbf62067fdf2ee01695a1310fca3a55eeb47e749-3a747a58a7402a0c7df812587df7108beb6c7f3b