Stromness could be in line for a much-needed second cash machine.
Next week will see Orkney council’s planning committee decide if permission should be given for the Royal Bank of Scotland to install a new ATM.
This would come as good news to many in the town.
Stromness recently lost its Bank of Scotland branch which had been the only banking branch of any kind in the town.
The town currently only has one ATM at the local branch of the Co-op.
Now, agents acting on behalf of the RBS are asking for permission to set up a new freestanding ATM outside 5 Victoria Street.
Documents attached to the application state that the ATM at the now-closed Bank of Scotland branch is to be removed.
Town only has one ATM and bank branch at the moment
It also states that the only other available ATM is within the Co-op branch nearby on Ferry Road. The document states: “Unfortunately, this ATM is regularly out of use.”
In summer 2021, the Bank of Scotland announced it would be closing 18 branches.
This included closing the one in Stromness, at 99 Victoria Street, on 17 August 2022.
The branch had been offering a limited service in the lead-up to the closure.
The bank said it had spoken to customers worried about how they would do their banking and had advised them on how to set up online and telephone banking as well as explaining services offered by the post office.
Figures provided by the Bank of Scotland show it had seen a 22% drop in personal customers using the branch. These figures applied to the year leading up to November 2021.
It also said only 19 customers used the branch regularly in that same time period.
However, with it being the only branch of any bank in Stromness, there remained dismay at the decision.
With its application to set up a new ATM in the town, documents attached to the application submitted on behalf of the RBS state that the bank “believes it has a responsibility to provide the best possible facilities to so its customers. can receive the best possible service in a safe and controlled way.
Loss of bank branch in Stromness caused concern says MSP
Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has welcomed the proposals for a new cash machine in the town.
He said: “When the news broke in August 2021 that Bank of Scotland was closing its branch in the town, I know many local residents were concerned about the loss of access to services and cash.
“Alistair Carmichael and I have worked closely with community representatives over months to make the case for a new ATM.
“The process has not been straightforward. It has taken longer than hoped. But I’m delighted that RBS is proposing to install a cashpoint facility in the centre of Stromness.
“This is important not just for local residents but also for visitors and, in turn, for local businesses.
“I would, therefore, pay tribute to the representatives of the Stromness community who played such a key role in getting us to this stage.”
The council received one objection to the application. Victoria Street resident Katherine Kemp has cited the impact on the commercial property which fronts the proposed ATM.
She says there would be a loss of parking and an impact on conservation area.
However, council officers have said the objection doesn’t merit refusal. As such they have recommended that the planning committee grant planning permission.
The application will be considered by members of the planning committee at their meeting next Wednesday, April 25.
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