Plans for ATM on listed Nationwide building refused

A bid to install a cash machine in what a councillor called a "dying" town centre has been thrown out, after it was ruled the ATM would damage the listed Georgian building housing Nationwide.

The building society had applied to revamp its Grade II-listed branch at the market place in Fakenham, Norfolk, adding an external ATM and access ramp.

Its plans drew strong backing from local residents and the town council, warning the area currently had only one 24/7 accessible cash point - at a Tesco on the edge of town.

However, North Norfolk District Council's planning officers recommended it should be refused - and in a vote on Thursday, councillors sided with their advice.

People can currently access an ATM inside the Nationwide branch during opening hours, but the town council said there was "no reliable access to cash outside normal trading hours, other than through supermarkets".

The building society proposed installing the machine in the exterior wall "in a manner that is sympathetic to the existing facade".

Jim Rockett, a town councillor, had pleaded with members to approve the plans.

"Fakenham town centre is dying," he said.

"Even charity shops are closing."

"I'm not claiming an ATM would be a panacea for the town centre decline, but it certainly would be well-used," Rockett added.

"Access to cash is vital for vulnerable and older people – it is essential for all of us, including traders, market stall holders and visitors."

Liz Vickers, a Conservative at North Norfolk District Council, said stripping services such as ATMs would drive away footfall.

"If you take services that people want and need away from town centres, you take people away, and with the people goes the economic wellbeing and vitality of the town," she said.

She rejected the idea that Fakenham was on the decline, however, arguing it had enjoyed a "renaissance" of late through new independent businesses.

She said many of those traders dealt in cash and wanted the ATM, especially with the supermarkets no longer offering cashback.

Nationwide had offered to carefully store the shopfront features removed for the works, meaning the building could be restored if the branch ever closed.

But the decision was made to turn the plans down.

Officers said demand for cash had fallen sharply as the shift to a cashless society "accelerated" following the wave of bank closures.

And while they accepted some businesses still depended on cash, the ATM would "obscure features of historical interest" and harm the listed building.

The decision – which was decided across three separate votes on Thursday morning – twice saw the committee split down the middle, and twice the chairman was forced to use his casting vote to refuse the plans.

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