Another Kebab Shop Sparks Resident Annoyance on South London High Street
The transformation of a former Barclays bank on Walworth Road into a German Doner Kebab (GDK) outlet has left many local residents feeling frustrated. The bank branch, which was a fixture on the high street, shut its doors for good in April this year, and the fast-food chain opened in its place at the end of October.
The National Trend Behind the Local Closure
This specific closure is part of a much larger pattern sweeping across the UK. Since February 2022, Barclays has closed 413 branches, a figure only surpassed by Lloyds Bank, which shut 460 locations in the same period. In total, a staggering 2,209 bank branches have closed across the UK since the beginning of 2022.
Banks are increasingly shutting their less-used physical locations as consumer behaviour shifts dramatically towards online and app-based banking. In a report justifying the Walworth Road closure, Barclays stated that data showed 96 percent of the branch's customers also used online banking. It further claimed that only 15 customers used the branch as their sole method of banking.
Mixed Reactions from the Community
The arrival of the new kebab shop has been met with a lukewarm reception. Comments on social media platform TikTok captured the local sentiment, with one person stating, "Barclays didn't close for this." Others pointed out the seeming saturation of fast-food options, noting there is already a GDK "right in the borough" and a Popeyes on the same road.
The Walworth Society voiced its disappointment, saying it was "shocked" by the loss of the "incredibly well used bank." This reaction underscores a broader concern about the changing face of the British high street and the loss of essential services.
The Wider Impact of Bank Branch Closures
The disappearance of banks from high streets has significant consequences. According to a report from the House of Commons Library, the reduction in cash and banking services disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including the elderly, the digitally excluded, and those on low incomes.
Furthermore, the overall scale of the decline is immense. Data from the consumer group Which? reveals that more than 6,500 bank and building society branches have closed across the UK since January 2015. This represents around two-thirds of all branches that were open a decade ago, with an average closure rate of 53 branches every month.
While the shift to digital banking is a key driver, the report also notes that the economic model for maintaining cash machines (ATMs) has been undermined, accelerating the decline of in-person financial services on our high streets.
