PlanIndex research · 14 September 2026
Wigton’s former High Street bank could become two shops and three flats
A former bank on Wigton High Street could be converted into two shops and three flats.
Cumberland has received a change-of-use application for the premises, reference FUL/2026/0120. The recorded proposal describes the commercial units as Class E shops.
The building has been marketed for redevelopment before. Auction particulars for September 2023 identify it as the former NatWest bank and describe an earlier scheme combining commercial space with homes. The auction listing is marked withdrawn. It does not establish what work, if any, subsequently took place.
The new application again proposes a mix of shops and housing. The registered description does not name the shop tenants. The Times & Star reported on 5 September 2026 that the applicant is Scottish Whisky Competitions, that the ground floor would hold a whisky retail area and lounge, and that the former staff building at the rear would become a hair and beauty salon, with the three flats offered for rent. Those details come from the newspaper's account of the application documents, which we have not read ourselves.
PlanIndex's copy of the council record gives a received date of 2 September 2026 and showed the application under consultation when checked on 14 September. The two-shop, three-flat counts come from that description.
We have not independently checked the new floor plans, so have not assigned the units to particular floors or reported their sizes. The older auction particulars should not be used as a layout for the current proposal.
View the former bank application on PlanIndex for the recorded details and updates.
Methodology and limitations
Document-led local reporting using the public PlanIndex application record. Direct council document access was unsuccessful; no claim of independent document verification is made. Details of the applicant and ground-floor uses are attributed to the Times & Star's report of 5 September 2026 rather than to the application documents. No decision-speed comparisons, production database rows or private exports are used. Queries record public GET retrievals.
- Application status can change after the check date.
- Applicant statements describe proposals, not completed works or guaranteed opening dates.
- No interviews or direct comments were obtained.
- The Times & Star reported this application on 5 September 2026 and listed its reference on 6 September 2026. The article credits that report and claims no exclusivity.
- The applicant's name, the whisky retail and lounge use, the salon and the rental tenure of the flats come from the Times & Star's account of the application documents. They have not been checked against the documents themselves.
- Direct council page retrieval returned a JavaScript shell without application detail. Reporting is limited to the public council record held on PlanIndex; supporting documents have not been independently verified.
- Historical background comes from an older public listing; it does not verify present trading, ownership, permission or occupancy.
Evidence extracted 2026-09-14T17:27:53.621859+00:00. Figures reflect that extract; subsequent data imports do not change them.
Reusing this research
You may reproduce the chart and aggregate figures with credit to PlanIndex and a link to this article. For questions, corrections or interviews, contact us.
Source: Wigton’s former High Street bank could become two shops and three flats, PlanIndex, 14 September 2026.
Watch planning applications near you
Get email alerts when new planning applications appear in your watched area.
Create a free account