When the NatWest bank in Fore Street, Wellington, closed in 2017 it was providing two cash points in the front wall.

Now, when businesses move out of leased premises they are usually required, by the landlord, to restore the building to a prior condition – that makes the building easier to re-let. This restoration can involve the tenant in firstly finding a picture of the building before its amendment and then finding a suitably qualified craftsman to carry out the work.

NatWest’s efforts to restore the front of its erstwhile bank are impressive. Who would ever know there had been a couple of cash points there?

Similarly, when HSBC moved out from the corner of South Street and Fore Street, it restored the door in South Street which had been removed to make way for its cash point. This restoration was also carried out successfully to keep the street scene looking tidy.

However, HSBC has not yet got round to restoring the site of the night-safe in the Fore Street wall of the building. It is now nearly two years since HSBC moved out. Will the temporary wooden covering remain a permanent part of Wellington’s townscape?

And then there is Barclays Bank in Fore Street. Here it seems a window was removed to accommodate the cash point but so far no effort has been made to restore it.

COLIN SPACKMAN