Newcastle Building Society is set to open a brand new, unique branch in North Shields in partnership with YMCA North Tyneside.
The new branch will see us make a significant investment in North Shields to secure the future of financial services in the community, as we move around the corner from our existing branch and into the YMCA North Tyneside community building on Church Way.
The bustling YMCA building is a well-used community facility located at the heart of North Shields, which includes a gym, café, office space, supported accommodation, as well as a popular day nursery in the building next door.
Our new branch will share a space with these services an occupy a prime position by the main entrance.
As well as offering our full range of branch services, we’ll also be investing in the creation of new community spaces for people to use, private meeting rooms, and a welcoming branch atmosphere. Design: Grace Choi Architecture Video: NVision Studios
North Shields will be our fifth community partnership branch, alongside our Yarm, Wooler, Hawes, and Knaresborough branches and is due to open this summer. Our current location on Bedford Street will close when the new branch opens, and we will be supporting our customers to help them make the move with us.
It’s just one part of a series of investments into our branch network, which includes a new flagship community branch in the heart of Newcastle city centre, and a collaboration with North Tyneside Council to open a new branch in Tynemouth after the local library is redeveloped.
Since 2015, nearly 6,000 bank branches have closed across the UK, including several in North Tyneside, forcing customers to travel miles to get to their nearest branch and making it harder for some people to manage their money.
We listen to our members when they say they want the convenience of digital services but also the reassurance of being able to pop into a local branch and speak to someone they know and trust.
Andrew Haigh, chief executive officer at Newcastle Building Society, said: “We’re delighted to share our plans to move to a better branch in North Shields which will be fit for the future and appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. YMCA North Tyneside is a fantastic organisation, and their team do an amazing job of supporting people across our communities, so the opportunity to work with them and open a new branch makes perfect sense.
"Customers tell us time and again that they are worried about the number of bank branch closures and the removal of highly valued local services. Our intent is to increase the number of branch locations we offer."
“In our view, leaving our high streets without proper access to face-to-face financial services is simply not acceptable. It’s time for some new thinking and greater commitment to support our communities and high streets. Newcastle Building Society is challenging old thinking with our innovative approach to branch locations, often working in partnership with like-minded, community focused organisations and thinking creatively about how we can meet the needs of our customers over the longer term. We’re delighted to commit our future in North Tyneside with these plans for North Shields alongside our work with the Council for a new branch in Tynemouth.”
Download the press release (PDF, 154kB).
Image caption: CGI image of what our brand new North Shields branch will look like. Design: Grace Choi Architecture. Visualisation: NVision Studios.
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