Former East Lothian bank goes on market after Edinburgh woman's eight-year fight to convert it into a home
Former North Berwick bank on the market for £575,000
A former bank which has been at the centre of a battle to convert it into a home for eight years has gone back on the market for offers over £575,000.
Edinburgh gran Pat Sharp and her husband bought the former bank building in North Berwick in 2018 in the hope they could convert it into a home they could spend their retirement in.
East Lothian Council planners, however, repeatedly rejected applications to turn the business building into a house, saying it would be an unacceptable loss of a commercial unit in the seaside town centre.
In the years since buying the building for more than £550,000, Pat’s husband, who has Parkinson’s Disease, has had to move into a care home and the dream of a retirement home in the town came to an end.
Earlier this month planners did approve plans to turn the ground floor of the former Royal Bank of Scotland branch into two offices and create a separate first floor flat above them.
And Pat has now called in Allied Surveyors Scotland to place it on the market after what she described as an “exhausting” battle.
She said: “I am delighted our latest application has received backing from the local authority, and I must commend our architect Andrew Megginson for his perseverance and support during the process.
“The flat will be afforded a magnificent sea view whilst the two commercial units support the town’s thriving High Street.”
The new proposals will see a one-bedroom flat built above the new offices with it own separate door and access.
Iain Mercer from Allied Surveyors Scotland said they anticipate a lot of interest in the building with its mixed use planning permission.
He said: “12A Westgate is an extremely rare mixed-use development opportunity in a prime location at the centre of one of Scotland’s most sought-after coastal towns.
“The flat will enjoy its own main door access and have an unbroken view of the West Beach and golf course, whilst the two commercial units are bound to appeal to a wide range of occupiers.
“We are anticipating high levels of interest such is the scarcity of these types of properties in North Berwick.”