Cumberland Building Society plans Whitehaven branch makeover

The Cumberland Building Society branch on Lowther Street has applied to spruce up its front with a "more aesthetically pleasing and historically sensitive façade."

Plans submitted to Cumberland Council say a green tiled fascia with 3D white lettering would replace the current green aluminium fascia.

They also want a strip of LED lighting in a pelmet above the sign.

Black and brown window frames would be replaced with anthracite grey ones, alongside a new level-access door.

The new door would improve access and end the need for a temporary ramp.

The front would also get a new non-illuminated projecting sign.

An AV screen would also be installed, and the shop's ATM will be moved.

The changes aim to protect the building’s historic character, dating from the town’s expansion and grid design by Sir John Lowther.

The three-storey building has "modern" stone at ground level, red sandstone with carvings on the first floor, and decorative brickwork on the second.

The Heritage Asset Statement says the new sign would sit on a tiled band fixed to backer board, so it does not stick directly to the façade.

They hope individual letters reading 'The Cumberland' will look better than the current flat aluminium sign, and a projecting ‘house’ sign would replace the existing one in a new position.

The materials are said to "match the existing," and the new windows and doors would be more thermally efficient.

The documents say "the tiles for the façade are more in keeping with a historic building than the aluminium signage."

The building is not listed, but it adds to the area’s architectural story as Lowther Street sits in the Whitehaven Town Centre Conservation Area.