Two former banks in Ware to become offices and flats

The former Lloyds Bank and Barclays on Ware High Street are to be converted into flats and office space

Two former banks in a town centre are to be turned into offices and flats.

Ware in East Hertfordshire has lost all six of its High Street banks in the last five years.

Development plans have been approved for the Grade II listed buildings, which previously housed Lloyds and Barclays branches.

They were originally a coaching inn and the site of The George Inn, which was home to the Great Bed of Ware in the 1600s.

East Hertfordshire Council has given permission for the ground floor and basement areas to be converted into offices, while the upper floors will become seven flats of different sizes.

The plans also include eight newbuilds behind the existing buildings, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The developer has promised a "reactivation of uses within a vacant section of High Street and high-quality designs."