Newcastle Building Society continues branch upgrades with Bishop Auckland work

A mutual has revealed plans to overhaul a County Durham base.

Newcastle Building Society says it is rolling out work to “transform the branch experience” in Bishop Auckland.

The upgrade comes after the mutual moved into the site, on Newgate Street, two years ago, following the closure of a Virgin Money branch.

According to its plans, the work will “deliver a modern, open plan environment to provide customers with improved access to services, information, advice and private meeting spaces”.

A community room will also be created and made freely available for events and activities.

The branch will close at 1pm on Friday October 15 for building work to begin, with the refreshed space due to re-open in mid-December.

Officials say customers will still be able to access services through nearby branches, as well as the mutual’s phone and online support.

Stuart Miller, chief customer officer, said: “Making a significant investment in Bishop Auckland is part of a wider commitment to maintain and protect financial services in our region.

“The redeveloped space will offer customers everything they would expect from a modern financial institution.”

The Bishop Auckland upgrade follows an update in August, wherein bosses revealed the mutual’s West Denton branch, in Newcastle, is moving to larger premises.

Stuart added: “We’re absolutely committed to maintaining face-to-face financial services on high streets across our region, and we know from our own research that people see the value of vibrant local services and share our belief in the importance of high streets.”