The North East’s biggest building society is making a major investment in opening a new branch in Whitley Bay.
Newcastle Building Society is creating a new open plan branch at 303 Whitley Road, close to the junction with Park Avenue, as part of an ongoing multi-million pound investment programme across the whole of its branch network.
Refurbishment work is scheduled to be completed before the end of the year with the Society expected to open the new facility in time for Christmas.
The Society’s existing branch on Park View will remain open as usual until the new branch is ready.
Two new jobs are also being created as part of the investment in the new branch, which will take the number of people employed at the branch up to seven.
The new 3,315 sq ft branch will provide Society customers with better access to services, information and advice, as well as improved meeting spaces to discuss all aspects of personal financial planning.
A community area will also form part of the design, which will provide a free space in which local people, groups and good causes can share information about events and activities that are happening in the area.
The branch move comes after the closure this month of the Virgin Money branch that previously occupied the Whitley Road site.
Stuart Miller, customer director of Newcastle Building Society, says: “At a time when many financial institutions are closing branches across the region, we are reaffirming our long-term commitment to local communities by investing heavily in maintaining and enhancing a modern branch network that sits right at the heart of our operations.
“We strongly believe our future lies in our local communities, and we are very much here to stay on the High Street.
“Our branch investment programme has been designed to build on this commitment by ensuring customers have access to the high quality services and facilities that they should rightly demand of a modern financial institution like ourselves.
“The reaction we’ve had from customers in locations where we’ve already opened new branches or carried out upgrades to existing offices has been really positive, and we think our Whitley Bay customers will very much enjoy them too.
“We’ve chosen a vibrant, central location that is easily accessible to customers and are already looking forward to moving into brighter and better surroundings in Whitley Bay.”
