The bank at 65 Eltham High Street shut its doors last summer, and the ground floor of the building has been vacant ever since.
But a new planning submission to Greenwich Council suggests that a prospective tenant has been found for the site.
The proposals technically ask for permission to install a new ventilation system in the building, but they reveal that this would enable an unnamed restaurant to open.
Planning documents claim that the restaurant can open without planning consent, as the building was already being used as a commercial, business or service premises when it was a bank.
Although it is not clear what the planned restaurant would be, its proposed hours of operation would be 7am until 11pm.
A noise impact assessment of the ventilation system claims that despite the nearest neighbour living in an upstairs flat, the noise levels would comply with the council’s “usual requirements”.
The planning agents for the application claim that the restaurant would provide a new food and drink outlet which “adds positively” to the mixture of shops found in Eltham High Street.
“Furthermore, the proposals will generate additional local job opportunities at this site, which has been vacant since NatWest ceased trading here in 2024,” they add.
