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A former amusement arcade is set to become a banking hub as plans have been approved.

North Yorkshire Council said the proposal for Holdsworth Amusement Centre, on Belle Vue Street, Filey, followed a number of bank branches on the Yorkshire coast being closed.

Banking hubs are designed to enable consumers and small businesses to access cash and offer basic banking services in areas where high street banks have shut.

The application was supported by Filey Town Council and several residents also wrote to the council in support of the plan.

One wrote that banking access was “severely lacking in the town” and the hub would be “a vital lifeline to the large number of older residents in the town as well as being a boon during the summer tourist season”.

Another commented: “I believe this will be a huge asset to the town of Filey, especially for the elderly who cannot make the journey to Scarborough for their needs.”

The first, second, and third floors of the early 19th Century mid-terraced building are used for accommodation as residential flats.

Cash Access UK, which submitted the plans, is a not-for-profit company set up by a number of UK banks and building societies to facilitate the provision of a range of services including shared banking spaces on local high streets.

Planning officers said that the design of the scheme was “considered to be of a good standard, utilising high-quality materials”.

They noted that as the plan would “reinstate a business within a vacant unit” it was “viewed positively and will improve the sense of activity in the area and will enhance its overall character”.

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