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Greggs wants to move into another Kent town centre - with plans lodged to take over a former bank branch.
The bakery giant has applied to convert the closed Barclays on the corner of Sandgate Road and West Terrace in Folkestone.
The company says it will not “have any adverse impact” on the existing appearance of the 308 sq m site or its neighbours.
Papers submitted to Folkestone and Hythe District Council say: “The development involves retaining the existing shopfronts.
“The building is not listed as being of special historic or architectural interest and does not lie within a conservation area.
“The works will be accommodated within the footprint of the existing floor space of the building and no other development is proposed.
“The works are not considered to have any adverse impact on the existing appearance and amenity of the application site and that of its neighbours.”
The first documents for the application were submitted on May 20 and no comments from the public have yet been made in the planning portal.
Located opposite the empty former Debenhams department store, and a stone’s throw away from McDonald’s, it would be the town centre’s first Greggs.
The chain opened a branch within the Shell garage in Cheriton in June 2023. Free jam doughnuts were given to the first 100 customers that day.
Greggs, particularly famous for its sausage rolls and steak bakes, is the UK’s largest baking franchise.
It was first established in 1951 and by 2019 had more than 2,000 outlets.
It already has three branches in neighbouring Dover - at the town centre precinct, the St James’ Retail and Leisure Park and an A20 petrol station at Limekiln Street.
An application to replace the NatWest Bank in Deal precinct with a Greggs was rejected by Dover District Council because of fears of the effect on the conservation area there.
Barclays in Sandgate Road, Folkestone, closed on June 23, 2023.
Banks have blamed the closure of branches on the continuing decrease in walk-in customers and the increasing use of telephone banking and online apps.
