Pevensey residents will be left three miles from a bank

PEVENSEY’S only bank is closing in December.

The HSBC above the library in Wallsend Road, Pevensey Bay, will shut its doors on December 3 leaving villagers with a journey of more than three miles to the next nearest bank at Langney or a four-mile journey to their next nearest HSBC in the Hampden Park area.

The cash machine at the site will also be removed, meaning residents will have to travel more than a mile to withdraw cash at the Esso garage or ASDA.

Villagers are angry the bank is shutting. Local resident Shirley MacKinnon said, “We are horrified to hear the HSBC branch in the village will close in December.

“With a significant number of elderly people in the village and a limited bus service this is another nail in the coffin for this village and it must affect businesses.

“As an HSBC customer, who changed to this bank because there was a branch here, I shall be voicing my concerns most vociferously.”

John Grout, chair of Pevensey Parish Council, has also raised concerns. He said, “I am terribly disappointed because it is yet another facility in the village disappearing.

“Now people in Pevensey will have to go to Eastbourne town centre and pay parking charges to get their money out.

“And those that don’t drive will have a long bus ride or taxi journey.”

A spokesperson from the bank said, “HSBC monitors customer usage at all our branches and makes decisions regarding changes in staff levels, opening hours and our branch locations based on that usage, the potential for growth and long-term viability. A decision to close invariably reflects a long-term decline in customer use of the branch. This was very much the case at Pevensey Bay.

“HSBC does not make a decision to close a branch lightly. We appreciate the impact such a move can have on some customers and do what we can to minimise the effects and address community concerns.

Among other measures, HSBC gives customers a minimum of 12 weeks’ notice that a branch will be closing and can offer training on how to use telephone and internet banking and how to set up direct debits and standing orders.

“Importantly, we do not hide from our responsibilities and accept that we are accountable to the communities in which we do business. For this reason, senior managers are available to meet with community representatives and to attend community meetings to answer questions and explain the reasons for decisions.”

Staff from the HSBC branch in Pevensey Bay will be redeployed to other branches.

^{STORY SOURCE : EASTBOURNE HERALD : 17 September 2010}