A "banking revolution" will be coming to Epsom when the country’s first new high street bank in 100 years moves into the historic market town.
Metro Bank, launched in 2010, has 19 branches across London and the south east, and is set to occupy the former The Card Factory and Halifax bank unit on Epsom High Street.
It will be open seven days a week, 362 days a year, and will offer 24-hour online and telephone banking.
A spokeswoman for the bank said that there is no fixed opening date for its Epsom branch, but it will be "towards the end of this year or start of next year".
Councillor Neil Dallen, chairman of Epsom Council’s strategy and resources committee, said the bank will have a "positive economic impact" on the town.
He said: "Epsom being selected by Metro Bank validates the town as an attractive location for national retailers as it continues to grow and prosper."
The location of the building is within Epsom High Street’s conservation area and was first recorded as a blacksmith’s forge in 1687.
By 1832 it was the White Hart pub, which closed in the mid-1980s when it became a shop.
Councillor Graham Dudley, chairman of the council’s planning committee said the location’s history meant that "reconciling [it with] the Metro Bank’s distinctive brand and visual appearance was never going to be easy" but that the planning department "worked together to bring about an acceptable compromise".
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