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Former Kent Reliance lease in Gravesend town centre up for sale

16:16, 09 July 2024

The lease for the former home of a town centre bank has gone on the market - with almost 1,000 years left on it.

Kent Reliance’s old home, on the corner of Windmill Street and Manor Road in Gravesend town centre, is available less than a month after the firm moved out.

The lease on the bank's former home is up for sale
The lease on the bank's former home is up for sale

The long lease - of 946 years - is up for sale for £350,000 with independent estate agent Sealeys.

Inside the building there is a sales area and two offices on the ground floor, an open-plan office, a staff room and toilets on the first floor and a basement.

The unit, measuring 1,599 sq ft, was emptied on Thursday, June 13, as Kent Reliance moved to a bigger shopfront in King Street.

Chief executive officer Andy Golding branded it a “vital” move to keep the savings bank in the “heart of the community”.

Speaking previously, he said: “We are committing to this town and high street and investing in it. It is a win-win for our customers and us.

Chief executive Andy Golding said the firm is committed to its town centres
Chief executive Andy Golding said the firm is committed to its town centres

“If businesses do not invest in the town centre they will just become filled with charity shops and coffee shops.

“Communities need their town centres to be more than that and we are hopefully playing a small part in helping this.”

Kent Reliance opened in Gravesend in 1986 and bosses say it is “bucking the trend” as more banks close their town centre branches.

Staff at the opening of the former Gravesend branch in 1986. Picture: Kent Reliance
Staff at the opening of the former Gravesend branch in 1986. Picture: Kent Reliance

According to Which? as of May 17, there have been 387 scheduled bank branch closures across the UK for 2024.

In Gravesend, Barclays in New Road closed in May and NatWest in King Street is due to shut its doors in August.

The future of the units is not yet known.

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