A PIONEERING digital bank which could create 340 jobs looks set to get the go-ahead for a new North-East headquarters next week (Tuesday, October 13).

But Atom Bank’s plans for a purpose-built new home in Durham could be derailed by critics worried about the office block’s impact on the city’s Castle and Cathedral.

County councillor Grenville Holland has asked a council committee to consider the £8.7m scheme, saying the former croquet lawn plot at Aykley Heads is a sensitive site overlooking the World Heritage Site.

Durham County Council has also received seven objection letters, raising concerns over increased traffic and loss of green space. Additionally, some critics claim the croquet club, now based at Houghall, was forced out.

If planning permission was refused, it would be a significant blow for the first-of-its-kind “challenger” bank.

The online lender has already created 100 jobs based in former council offices nearby, but it has always been its intention to move into new facilities at Rivergreen business park.

However, planning officers are recommending consent be approved. In a report to councillors, principal planning officer Claire Teasdale says the environmental effects of the proposal are “acceptable” and no harm would be caused to the World Heritage Site setting.

“Concerns expressed from objectors regarding this proposal have been taken fully into account, and carefully balanced against the scheme’s wider social, economic and community benefits. However, they are not considered to raise issues that justify planning permission being withheld,” Ms Teasdale writes.

The 4.5-acre site, currently open green space, lies between the new Durham Police headquarters and County Hall, which the council wants to demolish to make way for new offices. It is 50m from the edge of the Durham City Green Belt and 300m from the limits of the city centre conservation area.

The development would include 4,242sq metres of office space, with the potential for 512sq metres more, in a U-shaped, two-storey building, plus 146 parking spaces.

Members of the council’s central and east area planning committee will debate the application at County Hall on Tuesday, October 13 at 1pm.

Atom is one of a group of “challenger” banks aiming to challenge the major High Street lenders. It was granted a banking licence in June.