Pledge to transform Rasen’s ‘run down’ ex-bank building

The council is planning to hold a town meeting to discuss how the former Market Place bank can be transformed.

Deputy Mayor Steve Bunney said: “We haven’t as yet managed to secure any money for that [HSBC] but we as a town do need to progress with it.

“It’s empty, it’s been run down and basically used by local pigeons and not much else.

“We’ll be holding a town meeting in a few weeks to get ideas for what people would like to see in that building.

“It’s very important that the town have some firm ideas for how they would like the building used.

“Saying ‘shops or residential’ is not enough.

“That’s not producing results, it’s got to be more specific than that.

“Then we might be able to buy the building, to get it developed.

“Could it be a walk-in tourist information site to support the tourist economy?

“Another possibility, it might be able to be a multi-use medical centre for things like visiting hearing clinics.

“These are the sorts of things we need to discuss.

“It [the town meeting] will be called in the next couple of weeks.”

Coun Bunney stressed how important it was that the local community speak out about what they would like to see in the building.

He said: “We need that answer from the community.

“[Saying] ‘we need more shops’ isn’t enough.”

Coun Bunney said the project would be a joint venture from local councillors and businesses.

The HSBC bank closed on December 11, 2015 and the building has been vacant ever since.

HSBC made the decision to close the bank in September 2015, saying use of the Market Rasen branch had ‘fallen significantly’ over the past few years.

What do you think should happen to the building?

Share your ideas with the Rasen Mail by emailing 
[email protected].