New plans outlined for former Moate bank building

A former bank building in Moate could have a new lease of life, two newly published planning notices have signalled.

MCC Main Street Clara Ltd has revealed a new proposal is in the offing for a dental practice and apartments in the former Bank of Ireland building along the town's Main Street.

The company, with a registered address in Clara in Offaly, is to submit plans shortly to Westmeath County Council seeking approval to change the use of part of an existing commercial unit from banking to a dental practice, including an alteration of an external window for use as a fire exit.

In addition, a second planning notice covers a proposal for six apartments in the former bank premises, which is a protected structure, dating back to 1855, according to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.

It described the building as likely built to designs by William Caldbeck, probably for the National Bank, and is “a good example of his standard bank design, which became the template for bank buildings in the mid-to-late nineteenth-century”.

What's proposed now is a change of use of part of the existing ground floor from a commercial premises to a one-bed apartment, and to construct an extension to accommodate a second one-bed unit.

The existing first and second floors would also be converted into one-bed apartments as part of the scheme, along with a proposed extension to the rear of the both floors to make room for another one-bed apartment on each, bringing the total to six.

Ground floor service rooms and a chimney would be demolished to make way for the residences, while alterations are earmarked for the first and second floors to provide for new balconies and windows as part of the project.

The Bank of Ireland branch in Moate was among 103 closures in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland back in October of 2021.

The closure of the Moate branch, in particular, was greeted locally with dismay and disappointment when it was announced leaving the town with no bank branch at all or on-street ATM. It came after the ending of AIB's presence in the town some years previously.