Plans have been submitted to turn a bank into a café with outdoor seating at a shopping square.

The Barclays building in Southwick Square, Southwick, has been empty since the bank left the unit in October 2022.

Now the plans have been submitted to Adur District Council by Juniper Catering, the trading name of the Sussex bakery chain The Flour Pot.

It will be the 11th of their bakeries in the county, with branches in Worthing, Hove and Brighton.

The plans are to change the windows and doors and upgrade the interior to have 17 tables inside. There would also be eight outside.

The Argus: Outdoor seating would be to the east and south of the buildingOutdoor seating would be to the east and south of the building (Image: Adur District Council)

While fans of the chain have expressed their joy at the proposals, others have raised concerns about the overdevelopment of the square.

Elaine Lewis, from Shoreham, said: “The plans are overdevelopment of this area, plus it does not need another cafe, there are three already.

“It will place more obstacles in the way of the disabled, people with prams and wheelchairs.”

Guljakhon Vakhidova, from Southwick, said: “We don't want basically another coffee shop in the Southwick square, already three coffee shop here.

“Why don't you plan to open different kind of restaurant for the night business or a paint shop or a workshop, because there is only one restaurant in the square.”