PLANS to convert a former bank into a café in the Lake District have been given the green light.

The Lake District National Park Authority has approved plans from Casterton Leisure Ltd to transform the former Barclays Bank at Skylark House in Ambleside into a café.

The Barclays bank on Market Place closed in 2014 after a 60 per cent decline in customer visits.

Planning documents state: “The client brief is to create a new cafe within the former banking hall of the building.

“The cafe will have a small commercial kitchen requiring mechanical ventilation extraction through an extraction hood over the cooking area with a duct discharging externally.”

The three storey building dates from the Victorian era and is constructed with local blue grey dressed slate walls with slate quoins and lintels to the upper floor window openings, plans add.

According to planning documents two apartments have recently been created in the former bank office area on the first floor.

The Lake District National Park Authority approved the planning application on March 8.