A BRADFORD bank branch may soon be returned to its former glory after plans to restore the building’s Victorian interiors and open it to the wider public were announced.

Natwest plans to turn its Market Street branch, used mainly for business meetings and transactions, into its main city centre branch, and have submitted plans for a major refurbishment of the building’s interiors.

Work on the branch is expected to be complete by the end of the year, and when it is the bank says it will consider the future of its other city centre branch, just a few yards away on Hustlergate.

The local boss of Natwest told the Telegraph & Argus that when it is refurbished, the Market Street branch would have longer opening hours, into early evenings and on weekends.

The branch is next to The Broadway shopping centre which opened in November, and is currently only open to those with appointments.

The Grade II listed building was designed by architects Milnes and France as the Bradford District Bank, and was built in 1873. Its grand, historic banking hall features an ornate sculpted ceiling and Corinthian columns.

However, the ceiling has been hidden behind a suspended ceiling for several decades, and the refurbishment will see this false ceiling removed and heritage experts will be called in to restore the original.

A planning application for the refurbishment has now been submitted to Bradford Council.

Michael Burrow, Regional Managing Director at NatWest Bank, said: “At the moment there is only a small area of the Market Street building open and it is mainly for business customers.

“The building has been there for over a century and a half, it is a lovely building and we want to open it up more.

“It is right next to The Broadway and we plan to open it to all customers. The footfall there is quite significant.

“We’re going to refurbish the celling and work to restore the interiors in the most sympathetic way possible.

“It is an amazing place and we’re very excited about what we’re going to do with it.

“The aim is to start work in mid July on the upper floors and the ground floor in August. The aim is for everything to be complete in October or November.

“We will have to close the branch for a short time for the work to take place, and we’ll be planning to let our customers know what our plans are.”

When asked about the future of the Hustlergate branch of the bank, he said: “We’ll get through this piece of work first, and then we’ll be in a position to let customers know what the plans for the Hustlergate.

“The Market Street branch will be more accessible, and will be open longer hours.

“This refurbishment has been months, if not years, in the planning stages.

“Whenever I come in to Bradford I always look up, the architecture in the city centre is stunning. It will be nice to do something that restores a bit of the city’s heritage.”

The planning application says the celling is “mainly in tact, and even paintwork is in reasonable condition given the potential time covered up.”