New bar in Chesterfield town centre plan for old bank premises

David Gaines of Dat Bars Ltd has applied to borough council planners for change of use permission for the former Bank of Scotland premises on the corner of Stephenson Place and Cavendish Street, which is a Grade II listed building.

The applicant proposes to create the bar and simple food offer in the ground floor area and create trade kitchen areas and toilets in the remainder of the space. The existing plaster ceiling details would stay and any new partitions would finish below the ceiling to eliminate the need to damage the features.

Externally, the only proposed alteration to the appearance would be the opening up of the former side access to Cavendish Sttreet with a new door to match the existing ones. This would be purely for emergency escape.

Designed in 1907 by W Cecil Jackson, the building features ornate stone detailing comprising 12 Ionic columns stretching from the ground floor window plinth to the first floor window head, just short of six metres. A coat of arms flanked by eagles is above the main entrance.

The building was put on the market for £350,000 after the Bank of Scotland closed its branch in Chesterfield in April 2022.