Residents will recall that, last August, Royal Bank of Scotland lodged a planning application to shut the bank’s ATM at 260 Perth Road, the site of a former branch that closed in 2014. This was because the bank's lease on the building ends this spring.
I wrote to the bank last summer reminding them that when the branch closed, I was given a commitment that its free-to-use cash machine would be retained. I asked that the company to therefore look for alternative sites in the Perth Road area and the bank did commit at that time to look at possible options.
Since then, I have sought updates from the bank and I have now unfortunately received the following update from the bank's Local Director, Fife, Perth and Tayside :
"Thank you for allowing me time to look into your concerns.
Our lease on the former branch on Perth Road is expiring in April 2019 and we have taken the difficult decision to remove the ATM.
Since the branch closed we have explored options available to relocate the existing machine at a new site, however, we cannot find a suitable alternative location and therefore the existing machine will be removed this week.
It is not the outcome we had hoped for, however, our customers will continue to have a number of alternative ways to access their cash locally. There are over 30 other free-to-use ATMs within 1 mile of the old branch premises, with a machine next door at Premier convenience store.
The Dundee Chief Office branch is just under a mile away on High Street and is open Monday to Friday 9.15am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 3pm.
Our customers can also use any Post Office to check their balance, pay-in and withdraw cash. The nearest Post Office to the former branch is 60 yards away and is open six days a week: 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday – it also has an external ATM.
A number of shops also offer cashback services and customers can also make use of contactless payment systems too. Customers can also contact us over the phone to check their balance – 03457 888 444.
I appreciate you may be disappointed by our decision, however, I hope I have been able to explain the continued cash provision that remains available to your constituents."
I have asked the bank for detail of the options it considered as I consider the outcome to be highly disappointing. The loss of a key free-to-use ATM from one of the major banks in the area is a matter of regret.