Santander has announced it is in negotiations for an alternative site in Bradford city centre, following the identification of extensive structural issues at the existing Darley Street site.

In an unusual move, the banking giant has put a courtesy bus service in place to help its Bradford customers get to and from the Shipley branch as the bank looks for another building in the city centre.

The Darley Street Branch was forced to close in April 2022 after structural damages were found in the historic building. With the hope of fixing the issue, the branch made customers aware of other Santander banks within the district.

However, over the past four months, Santander has been monitoring the issue. After telling customers in June that work would be longer than expected, the bank has now announced negotiations for an alternative location.

In a letter sent out to customers, the bank said: “Unfortunately the damage to the building is far more extensive than we originally thought and given the nature of the remedial works, we do not yet know when repairs will start.”

In the meantime, from Monday, August 22, a courtesy bus service will run between the Darley Street branch and the Shipley branch, Mondays to Fridays.

The return service will run on an hourly basis starting at 9:30am with the final pick-up at 1:30pm.  In order to access the service, customers will simply need to prove they have an account with the bank, such as by showing their debit card.   

Richard Owen, Head of Branch Interactions, Santander UK, said: “We remain committed to helping local people bank face-to-face with us in Bradford city centre. 

“While the extensive structural issues identified at our Darley Street branch are reviewed, we have taken the decision to find an alternative location, and we expect to be able to announce details of the new site shortly.  In the meantime, we hope the return courtesy bus service will prove useful.”

When the T&A asked for more specific details of the structural issues, a spokesperson for Santander said: “Work is still underway to understand the structural issues.”

Councillor Nazam Azam for the city centre area said: “I’m grateful that Santander has arranged this bus service but I hope they find an alternative location in the city centre.

“It’s important that Santander find a location near the city centre as I know it will be impacting a lot of vulnerable and elderly people who are unable to access technology and travel to other branches.”

In addition to visiting their local Post Office, customers can also manage their account via online or digital banking, or through telephone banking.