Conservationists raise concerns over bank conversion plans
The old Barclays bank in Trowbridge could soon become flats
Conservationists have raised concerns over the conversion of a former bank that was tuned into a cannabis farm after falling vacant.
Barclays Bank announced the closure of its Trowbridge town centre branch in Fore Street, in 2022 as part of a raft of closures which included branches closing in Devizes, Marlborough, Warminster, and Westbury.
After repeated attempts to sell the property, the building finally changed hands in 2025 for a reported £435,000.
A planning application was submitted to convert the former bank into residential accommodation and build additional flats to the rear of the site.
Then a police raid in March 2026 uncovered a large cannabis farm. Police arrested a 48-year-old man and seized over 100 cannabis plants.
Meanwhile, Wiltshire Council has continued to consult on the planning application, with the deadline for comments passing this week.
Last through the gates was the government’s heritage watchdog, Historic England, which has expressed its disappointment that a chimney stack is still earmarked for demolition.
In their response, the conservationists told Wiltshire Council: “Historic England consider that the application lacks the necessary detail to enable a robust assessment of the impacts of the proposals.
“We therefore do not consider that clear and convincing justification in heritage terms has been provided for key aspects of the scheme.
“We are also disappointed that the chimney stack that was proposed for retention in the previous consultation, is now again to be demolished as part of the proposals.”
They continue: “3 Fore Street is a grade II* listed building and substantial weight should be given to its conservation.
“Whilst we are supportive of the principle of the residential conversion of 3 Fore Street, further detail of the proposed works are required to ensure that any harm to the significance of the grade II* listed building is avoided or minimised.”
The body says the council would be “justified in refusing the application on the grounds that an insufficient level of detail has been provided to enable a robust assessment of the proposals and their impact on the significance of 3 Fore Street.”
Heritage consultants for the applicant propose “the eighteenth century chimney breast will be removed at first-floor level” because “this feature has been notably damaged, including the removal of the associated stack and removal of an eighteenth century hearth.”
Generally, they say “the twentieth-century Barclays Bank caused widespread harm to the heritage asset,” and the planned works will “deliver a number of significant heritage-centred public benefits,” including “the demolition of the harmful later twentieth-century single-storey, flat-roof extensions.”
This will allow the “reinstatement of the historic frontage range’s rear elevation and the courtyard/garden space,” they say.
The planning application by MCH Minibuses Ltd proposes six flats in total – two two-bedroom apartments within the historic former Barclays building and a new four-storey block containing four one-bedroom flats at the rear of the site.