Bath’s former city-centre branch of RBS could soon be brought back to life as a restaurant.

The building on Quiet Street had been a bank since 1979 until RBS’ recent closure of the branch. Although there is already a restaurant upstairs, the ground floor of the building on Quiet Street has stood empty since the bank closed.

Now the Alejandra Restaurant Group is seeking planning permission from Bath and North East Somerset Council to renovate the ground floor and basement and turn them into a new restaurant.

A statement submitted with the plans said: “The proposal secures the future, viable, appropriate use of a vacant listed building, returning an active retail frontage to this landmark city centre site. “

The building is in the “regency Greek revival” style and dates from 1824. It is believed to be the work of Bath architect Henry Goodridge, most famous for the Corridor. The groups plans for the building would see the building’s bricked up historic doors — which housed a now-removed cash machine and night safe when it was a bank — opened up again and turned into windows.

The remaining RBS fittings would be removed and the ground floor turned into an open-plan restaurant, with a kitchen at the rear. The plans would also include a bar set out as an island, but the plans stated it would be “purely ancillary” to the restaurant.

The statement said: “Diners may wish to have drinks at the bar prior to, during or after dining.” In total there would be space for 120 people at the restaurant, including all seats at tables and spots at the bar.

LDRS, John Wimperis

You can view and comment on the plans here.