A TOWN mayor has shared his views on plans to transform two former banks.

The Leader reported recently on the approval of plans to turn Buckley's former Lloyds Bank building into apartments, despite concerns over parking arrangements.

Plans to turn the town's former branch of HSBC into a repair and reuse centre with a cafe have also taken a significant step forward.

Buckley mayor Cllr Arnold Woolley said while he welcomed the prospect of empty buildings being brought back into use, he has some concerns over the apartment scheme.

He said: "In the case of Lloyds, there is rather a limitation on it in terms of there is no parking.

"From the last census, Flintshire came up with the longest travel to work of any county in the UK.

"People travel from here to work in Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester - that's a statistical fact.

"All I can say is that whoever takes on those flats, if they're of working age and active, needing to earn incomes, they may well find they're going to have to have vehicles to get around.

"But on the other hand, rather than seeing empty buildings in Buckley one has to say it is better to see them put to use and the general indication is that people will welcome the Refurbs activity [at HSBC] because that organisation has a good reputation.

"I think they will be a good addition to the town and will benefit people in the area."

He said the thought of having no bank in Buckley is "something no one likes or enjoys."

"We have to travel to do our banking and that's very awkward for some people," he explained.

"It was a sad thing to see them all go. "We are trying to attract the Community Bank and those efforts are ongoing.

"One problem we have is that Buckley, no matter how one regards it, is on record as one of the more wealthy postcode areas in the county and therefore the rents demanded and business rates are high."