Plans submitted to turn former NatWest bank in Stafford into adult education centre

Chris Shepherd
28 minutes ago
2 min read

Plans have been submitted to convert the former NatWest Bank building in Stafford town centre into an adult education facility, bringing a new educational use to a long-vacant high street property.

The application has been made by Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) and relates to the former NatWest branch, which closed on 25 June 2025.

What is being proposed

According to the planning application, reference 25/41587/PSN, the proposal is to internally refurbish the existing three-storey building and change its use from a commercial bank to an education facility.

The building is currently classed as Use Class E (Commercial, Business and Service). The application seeks to change this to Use Class F1 (Education), allowing the space to be used for adult learning.

No external alterations are proposed, with all works taking place inside the building.

Inside the new education facility

Plans submitted with the application show the creation of:

Six seminar rooms
One IT room

The proposed capacity for each room is listed as:

Seminar Room 1: 24 students
Seminar Room 2: 24 students
Seminar Room 3: 24 students
Seminar Room 4: 14 students
Seminar Room 5: 18 students
Seminar Room 6: 24 students
IT Room: 8 students

In total, the layout would allow for multiple adult learning sessions to take place at the same time across the building.

Parking and highways impact

The application states that the proposal will not impact transport or highways.

There are currently seven parking spaces within the site, and no increase in parking provision is proposed as part of the development.

Bringing a vacant building back into use

The former NatWest building has been empty since the bank’s closure last summer. If approved, the change of use would bring regular activity back into the town centre building, supporting adult education provision while helping to reduce long-term vacancy.

Adult education facilities typically offer courses aimed at skills development, retraining, and lifelong learning, though specific course details have not yet been published as part of the application.