Anger over plans to close Felpham bank

The HSBC branch in Felpham Road will serve its last customer on August 28.

The company claims the outlet is not busy enough during its two hours a day opening times to justify being kept.

But members of the Felpham village community say the loss of the bank will hit them hard.

"I am very angry about the closure," Conservation Society chairman Joan Aubrey Jones said.

"I don't think HSBC are showing any respect for their customers. A large number of them in this area rely on that branch.

"It's all right HSBC saying our next nearest branch is in Bognor Regis town centre, but that is nothing like the same as having a branch in our village.

"If you drive to Bognor, you have to pay to park and there is nowhere near the High Street branch there where you can park close by.

"At the Felpham branch, there is free parking right outside or just down the road."

The bank closure was one of the main topics at the society's latest meeting on Monday.

It was hoped the cashpoint service would at least be kept to still enable villagers to get their money locally, she stated.

Felpham butcher Terry Gaterell, whose shop is two doors along from the bank, said: "The HSBC is as busy as it's ever been in the seven years I've been here.

"If it's not profitable now, then it's never been profitable during that time. It may only be open for two hours a day, but there are always people in there then.

"Closing it is going to cause a huge problem for the many elderly people around here. A lot of them can't make it into Bognor.

"I only switched to banking with HSBC last November.

"Now every time I want to do my banking, I've got to go into Bognor. That's going to cost me time and money.

"What I can't understand about the closure is that Felpham is not a dying place. It's a busy village. There aren't many empty shops around here."

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