Gorleston could become largest Norfolk town without a bank

Lloyds Banking Group announced it will shut its Gorleston High Street branch in January, as more people switch to online banking. 

Following a spate of bank closures over the years, traders have raised concerns about how a bankless high street would impact footfall.

Lloyds on Gorleston High Street is set to close in January 2025. (Image: James Weeds) Kevin Huggins, chairman of the Gorleston Traders Association, fears the planned closure will have a "huge impact" on people choosing to shop in the area.

He said he has campaigned to see if a banking hub - which would have multiple counters belonging to different banks - could be a suitable alternative to avoid people skipping the area in favour of Great Yarmouth.

Kevin Huggins, chairman of the Gorleston Traders Association. (Image: Newsquest) "It would be good to see multiple banks all under one roof and splitting the rent," he said.

"An ideal place would be one of the old bank buildings as they already have vaults installed - perhaps the Lloyds unit could be used for that. It needs to be assessed whether having all the banks there would impact the existing Post Office.

"But it's all a work in progress at the moment."

The High Street HSBC and Halifax branches (pictured in 2009) have closed in the past 15 years. (Image: Google) Mr Huggins said more needed to be done to educate older people to help them adapt to online banking. He added he is planning to meet with MP Rupert Lowe to talk about a solution to the issue.

The MP took to his X/Twitter account on Tuesday, saying the possibility of the High Street without a bank "is not good enough".

Rupert Lowe, after being named the MP for Great Yarmouth at the town hall on election night last week (Image: Newsquest) (Image: James Weeds) In an open letter to the group executive of the Lloyds Banking Group, Mr Lowe wrote: "The responsibility for being the last branch in Gorleston does not rest with Lloyds, but the responsibility for closing the last branch does lie with your organisation.

"I urge you to reconsider this decision, and I would like the opportunity to make Gorleston's case to you or the relevant member of your team."

Lloyds Banking Group recently announced that they would close the Gorleston branch, leaving the town in my constituency with no high street bank.

That is not good enough.

I have written to the Lloyds Chief Executive urging him to reconsider, and requesting an urgent meeting. pic.twitter.com/LkN75sxWt3

— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) July 9, 2024

WHAT DO TRADERS SAY?

Richard Routledge, from What Is Hip, said: "An all-in-one hub for banking with one counter and a couple of staff would be good to avoid turning people away from the area.

"If the Post Office can manage, surely the banks can.

"But I don't think it will have much of an effect on footfall. Where we lose on banks, we gain on new businesses like the Original Factory Shop across the road and The Vault further down."

Richard Routledge inside his clothing shop, What Is Hip? (Image: James Weeds) Jackson Harmer, from The Vault - which used to be the High Street branch of HSBC - said: "Any empty building affects the High Street.

"The council needs to do more to support the High Street as much as it does other areas. This street is vital to the community, and we should be incentivising new start-ups in the area and doing what we can to avoid more empty units here."

Jackson Harmer, owner of cafe, art club, tattoo studio and wellbeing clinic, The Vault. (Image: James Weeds)