Businessman given go ahead to turn former Royal Bank of Scotland in Talbot Square, Blackpool into a bar

A former bank is poised for a new lease of life as a bar after council chiefs approved a licence for the premises.

Lancashire businessman Mark Eggar is set to invest around £100,000 in converting the ground floor of the former Royal Bank of Scotland in Talbot Square which closed in 2018.

The bar will be called H20 after a series of venues Mark and his wife Carrie previously operated in East Lancashire but sold when Covid hit, and is set to open in September.

Mark said: “Carrie wanted to get back into the pub business and she was in Blackpool for a show at the Winter Gardens when she saw this property.

“Blackpool is a busy place and we felt the location was excellent, but we were warned there was a cumulative impact policy in place due to the high number of existing pubs in the town centre.

“However we were able to negotiate with the police and we have an unblemished record from running previous bars, so we were delighted to get our licence.

“The council is trying to improve Blackpool and it is a place we are keen to invest in for that reason as well.”

Conditions on the licence include use of plastic glasses after 11pm, last orders at 1am with the bar closed by 1.30pm, and that 75 per cent of seating must be fixed.

Mark said: “We aim to create a smart venue with seating in raised booths and a DJ stand, but we’re not going after a particular theme as I think pubs find their own way of what they want to be.”

It’s a far cry from entrepreneur Mark’s other business which is running his own insurance comparison website called www.just-passed.com

He said: “When Covid hit I needed to find another business so set the website up, but Carrie and I are looking forward to being back in the pub business again.

“Also this is a prominent building and it will be great to bring it back into use.”

The upper floors of the building have already been converted into luxury holiday apartments called the Old Bank Apartments, which were launched last year by retired construction boss Christopher Chadwick and daughter Charli Johnson who own the building.