Wansteadium

Wansteadium reader Jeffrey puts the case against the closure of Wanstead’s last remaining bank pretty succinctly:

I was angry when NatWest decided to close their branch in South Woodford which was very convenient for me and my family. I accepted that I would have to travel to Wanstead mainly for cash withdrawals and such like. With the impending closure of Wanstead branch please tell me what kind of service you’re providing for your loyal customers these days. Not everyone is techno savvy. How do we get cash and or coins out (we still use cash where I live)! Both branches were always busy on my frequent visits. NatWest – be ashamed of yourselves.

Meanwhile the bank is explaining to customers a range of options for their future banking. They include the same things all the other banks have relied on – going to the nearest branch (Walthamstow), using the Post Office, using mobile or phone banking and, hilariously, using Video Banking. It says:

“Chat to us face to face from the comfort of your home, at at time that suits you.”

That will go down well with fans of Back to the Future II. For older customers constantly warned of the risks of scammers and hoaxes, one suspects it will be less of a draw.

And a final thought – a word of thanks to the loyal and patient staff at the branch who have given years of service to the community.

NatWest Bank has announced its Wanstead branch is to close, along with 35 others around the country. It means that for the first time in living memory, Wanstead will not have any banks or building societies. Fifteen years ago there were five.

In a statement the bank said: “As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking, because it’s faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives.

“We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren’t right for everyone or every situation, and that when we close branches we have to make sure that no one is left behind.

“We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.”

The branch will close in October.

A multinational advertising company which has been refused permission to install several digital display advertising boards on pavements in the Wanstead High Street Conservation Zone is appealing to Michael Gove to overrule Redbridge’s decision.

JC Decaux, reputedly the largest outdoor advertising corporation in the world, is appealing to Gove, the secretary of state, after being refused permission to put the boards in Wanstead earlier this year.

The application is for the boards to include defibrillators. There are however now several defibrillators on the High Street, and the Wanstead Society says it is part of an attempt to get advertising boards “by stealth”.

An unrelated application for another lit digital display board to replace the tatty and largely unused New World payphone outside Tesco has also been made.

The conservation zone on the High Street is an attempt to protect the village feel of Wanstead. One of the most prominent ways this is observed is in shops not being allowed to have “internally illuminated” signs – something which would become a nonsense if Gove overrules the Redbridge decision.

The original decision said the boards would be “at odds with local distinctiveness and character and appearance of the wider conservation area” and would “add to visual clutter which would further undermine the vibrancy of the district centre”.

A spokesman for the Wanstead Society told Wansteadium that if the appeal succeed it would make the conservation area “pretty pointless”.

“We objected when they were first proposed and we are doing so again. Essentially, these are advertising boards with ads-ons to make them more presentable. We feel they aren’t right for a conservation area – or needed. We hope the council will reject them on grounds that they aren’t needed, aren’t suitable for a conservation area and advertising boards by stealth.”

The Nationwide Building Society is advertising a new pledge not to close branches on high streets – very similar to the promise it made shortly before announcing the closure of the Wanstead High Street branch, somehow claiming that the promise didn’t apply.

In case you want to relive the incident, it’s all documented here.

There’s going to be a Wanstead Beer Festival this autumn. Organisers are currently pulling things together for the event which will be held at Christ Church on 14 October.

Paul Donovan, Wanstead councillor and one of the people behind the festival, said there would be a variety of ales from local breweries, with cider, lager, craft beers and wine too.

“We are trying to keep the event local, as much as possible,” he said, and added that they were looking for local sponsors. It’s going to be a not for profit event.

Congratulations to the team at Wanstead-based publishing company Assemble Media Group which has been named the UK’s Digital Publisher of the Year. The company has its offices on the High Street, from where publishes building and architecture magazines and runs events, including a partnership with Haven House. Bravo to them.
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