New business takes over an iconic South Shields town centre building
One of South Shields’ most historic buildings appears to have a new tenant.
The former Barclay’s Bank building, on King Street, appears to have a new tenant after members of the public spotted new signage on the front of the Grade-II listed building.
It appears that in the last week, signage for a ‘Shields European Store’ has been put in place above the front entrance to the South Shields building.
Residents on social media have been expressing their concerns over how the signage looks against the backdrop of the historic site.
The building was put up for sale in February 2024 for an asking price of £375,000 following Barclay’s decision to relocate its South Shields branch to another location, further up King Street.
Due to the site being a listed building, South Tyneside Council approved plans in June 2024 to “decommission” the former bank use for the site.
This included removing signage and external lights, removing cash machines and infilling the spaces with matching stonework, as well as removing an alarm box and night safe.
The organisation stated that planned to convent the building into 26 one-bedroomed and studio apartments, subject to planning approval from South Tyneside Council.
At the time of writing, it appears that no formal planning application has been submitted to the local authority.