PLANS for a former NatWest branch in Heswall have been submitted.

The bank in Heswall town centre will soon be transformed into a restaurant, shop or bar, with the new owners hoping to lease it to a 'national chain'.

It comes after the unit on the corner of Telegraph Road closed in autumn, and a change of planning use has been submitted to Wirral Council.

Steve Woods is the man behind the plans, and said the process of looking for its new occupiers will begin 'quickly'.

Mr Woods explained: “We have acquired the building and are hoping to bring an established restaurant, coffee shop or bar to the area.

“The Heswall area would lend itself well to a new firm like this.

“We are hoping it will be a national chain, if possible.”

Mr Woods is managing director of Merseyside-based company Built-in Kitchen Appliances.

While the company’s name is being used as the applicant behind the plans for the building, the kitchen fitting firm itself will not be occupying the old bank.

In terms of the time frame of how quickly plans could take shape, Mr Woods said: “We are hoping it will happen pretty quickly. We don’t want to be hanging around.

“We want to be actively searching for a new tenant in three or four weeks.”

The plans for the three-storey building on the road already home to restaurants and cafes such as Pizza Express, Costa Coffee and Otto Lounge, were submitted to the council on April 10.

They will see the existing ground floor renovated, with the windows changed and replaced with 'traditional frontage'.

It comes after NatWest closed its branch on September 25 last year, blaming declining customer numbers and the rise in internet banking.

In March, the company said it would close seven across Merseyside after both mobile and online transaction increased by more than 400%, while those inside a branch declined dramatically between 2010 and 2015.

It meant the nearest branch for Heswall customers was five miles away in West Kirby, although customers were told they would have access to services at their local Post Office.