A north-east bank will be given a new lease of life when a local architecture firm takes on the building.
The Clydesdale branch in Mintlaw closed down last year when the bank made moves to slash the number of properties it owned across Aberdeenshire.
It left residents in the village with a 30-minute round trip to Peterhead to deposit cash.
The community was only given a reprieve before Christmas when the bank’s bosses agreed to roll out an ATM service in August.
The bank’s former home on The Square, however, has remained vacant until now.
Old Deer firm Baxter Design hopes to be able to move into the property before the end of the month.
Ryan Urquhart, the company’s director, described the project as a “major move” for the firm.
He added: “Having been customers of Clydesdale Bank, we learned that they would be vacating the building back in May 2017 and we took an interest straight away as we felt this may be a great opportunity for our company.
“We viewed the property on several occasions to get a feel for the layout and further explore our own vision for the building.
“Works are progressing nicely towards our target date, and we will become operational from there on Wednesday, February 28.
“In time we hope to employ more drawing staff, and our new larger premises will allow us to do this with ease. We wish to emulate the success of many businesses in and around The Square and further develop our reputation as a high quality provider of architectural services in the north-east.”
