A NEW "superbank" is set to open in Leith's Kirkgate shopping centre, in a move that will see three smaller branches shut down.
Bank of Scotland will close its outlets on Leith Walk and North Junction Street and merge them into one major operation at the centre.
There had been fears of a reduced service by the company, but the bank has reassured its customers that the new
branch, which will face out on to Leith Walk and be open by the end of January, will be an adequate replacement.
The announcement comes as the organisation also revealed plans to carry out major refurbishments of branches at Ocean Terminal and nearby Rennie's Isle.
Ken Lynch, the regional sales manager for Scotland East, said he was pleased to see a project which had been talked about for many years come to fruition.
He said: "Leith is a vitally important area for Bank of Scotland and we are delighted to be able to make this significant investment.
"The Kirkgate flagship branch project has been in the works for a number of years now, and we are very pleased to be able to deliver for our customers and for our colleagues."
Mr Lynch added: "The extra investment at both Ocean Terminal and Rennie's Isle underlines how we are responding to the increased demand from our customers.
"Leith is a vibrant, developing part of Edinburgh so it's important we have the best facilities available in the best locations."
Around 20 staff from the three existing branches that are due to close – North Junction Street and two on Leith Walk – will be redeployed in the new centre, which will be the same size as the three branches combined.
The 4000sq ft branch will have five counters, six private customer meeting rooms and three cash machines.
The Ocean Terminal branch, which currently only has cash machines and an interview service, will be upgraded to a full counter service "to meet customer demand", while Rennie's Isle will be revamped in April.
Leith councillor Gordon Munro said the new branch would inject life into the area and encourage more people to use the Kirkgate Centre. The Labour councillor said: "This is the final piece of the jigsaw (for the centre].
"Local people do still shop in Leith, and now they can save in Leith as well.
"While I regret the closure of the smaller branches, this is a welcome development, and it opens up the whole centre and will look really good and add to the feel of the place.
"What we are trying to do (with the centre] is to encourage people to walk from the foot of Leith Walk all the way down to the Shore and this will help reach that target."
The full article contains 463 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
