Restaurant plan for former town centre bank

Applicants Zayan Developments hope to change the grade II-listed former Royal Bank of Scotland on Rotherham’s High Street.

The main hall — notable for its granite columns — would be used as a cafe and restaurant, serving up six jobs.

The building was constructed in 1892 and was home to the Sheffield & Rotherham Joint Stock Banking Co.

The firm was formed a century earlier by steel pioneers the Walker brothers, along with the Duke of Norfolk’s agent Vincent Eyre and Rotherham businessman William Stanley.

RBS shut the branch last November — one of 162 outlets which closed, with the loss of nearly 800 jobs across England and Wales.

The plans note that the applicant intends to convert the rest of the site into apartments under a separate application in future.