A planning application has been lodged with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the removal of the external cash machine at the Larne branch of the Ulster Bank.
The branch at Upper Cross Street in the town centre is scheduled for closure on October 5, 2022.
The Larne outlet is one of nine Ulster Bank branches earmarked for closure.
The premises is a B2 Listed Building which is dated between 1920 and 1939. The application is seeking Listed Building consent for the removal of the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) machine and signage.
The borough council has been in contact with Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Division as part of a consultation.
The cash machine was installed during renovations to the exterior of the building in 2005.
Ulster Bank says:
“With the ease of mobile and online banking, fewer people are coming into the bank. This means we have had to make some tough choices about which can stay open.”
The company also stated that “across the bank”, transactions have reduced by 22 per cent between January 2018 and February 2020 while the use of mobile apps increased by 23 per cent.
At the Larne branch, counter transactions decreased by five per cent between 2017 and 2019 when the branch was used by 49 personal banking customers on a regular basis, half of which also used online banking or a mobile app, the bank said.
Ulster Bank has confirmed that when the Larne branch has been closed, the building will be sold.