Wiltshire Council has approved an application that proposes a former Lloyds bank, located at 1 High Street in Melksham, be converted into flats.

Lloyds announced it was closing the branch in 2021, despite local campaigners fighting to keep it open, and it has been vacant since 2022.

New plans that were approved on Wednesday, December 6, will see it transformed into seven flats.

The applicant, SPG property Trust, reported that it received no enquiries following a “lengthy” period of marketing and has therefore concluded that commercial use of the premises is no longer viable.

The application states: “The residential scheme proposed (mixture of 2-bed and 1-bed apartments) will improve the appearance of the local area and provide lovely accommodation, especially for the elderly, that will be very close to the local amenities.”

It adds: “Having presented the project to local residents, we have received only positive feedback and enthusiasm."

However, a handful of comments left on the application show that there is some local concern, mainly regarding parking.

One resident wrote: “We have lived on Place Road for 17 years and already suffer from people parking on the street - dangerously blocking access to emergency vehicles and making life difficult for recycling and refuse vans.”

The comments and full details of the plans can be found on Wiltshire Council's planning and building control public register.