The branch of Santander closed in 2021 as part of a nationwide sweep of closures across the country, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans have been put forward to convert the offices above a former Leytonstone bank into a flat.
The proposals, submitted by applicant Max Townsend, will see the first and second floor of what was Santander, in Leytonstone High Road, turned into a self-contained two-bedroom, three-person flat.
It was closed in summer 2021, as part of a nationwide sweep of closures that affected 111 branches.
The downstairs – which will be kept as a shopfront – has since been occupied by a nail and beauty salon.
A planning statement, submitted to Waltham Forest Council’s planning department, describes the development as a “high-quality flat” and one that “makes efficient use of a highly accessible, sustainable town centre site” while adding to the borough’s housing supply.
The conversion makes “efficient use of vacant upper-floor accommodation,” it says, while “retaining the active commercial use at ground and basement levels”.
Townsend’s proposal will “deliver a high-quality residential unit that meets modern living standards and contributes to the provision of new housing within a sustainable town centre location,” his agent wrote.
The applicants also point to a string of planning applications that were approved in 2024 and 2025 as proof of the “evolving nature of town centre premises” that is a response to “changing market demands”.
In 2024, separate plans were approved to turn a different vacant bank into a restaurant and a storage facility into a facility, with proposals being approved the following year for a shop to become a bakery.
The council receives several applications to turn empty shops or offices into flats each quarter, amid a borough-wide housing shortage.
Developers are often guided by the Local Plan, which lays out zones earmarked by the council for homes or shops.
A decision on these proposals is due by 17th September.
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