Plan for £2.5 million Royal Bank of Scotland flagship branch for Inverness reaches latest hurdle

Plans for a new £2.5 million Royal Bank of Scotland flagship branch in Inverness is a step nearer after plans for the city site were lodged.

RBS’s parent company, NatWest Group has lodged formal plans with Highland Council to alter vacant shopfronts in the Eastgate Shopping Centre to accommodate the proposals.

If approved RBS plans to move into two vacant units facing out onto Falcon Square.

The new superhub, located next to the Eastgate’s Subway takeaway, would replace two existing Royal Bank of Scotland branches in the city – one in Harbour Road and another that currently operates on the upper floor of the Eastgate Centre.

The flit is part of wider restructuring plans for the bank, which announced 18 branch closures in Scotland by September, with the loss of 105 jobs.

However, in Inverness, the merger of the two branches into one combined site is not expected to result in any job losses.

The new planning application relates to necessary changes for the existing Eastgate units to house a bank. These include cash machines, as well as access ramp and glazing changes.

The planning application will be decided by Highland Council at a future date.

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