Application shows there can be life after death for a bank

IF anything epitomises the near-death experience of Ireland’s banking system it must be the planning application to turn a once-thriving bank premises into a funeral home.

That, according to an Taisce, is what is happening in the local authority area of Fingal in north Dublin.

“We fell around laughing,” said An Taisce’s chairman Charles Stanley-Smith yesterday as they perused the application.

“We don’t tend to take a morbid interest in planning applications but this one caught our attention.”

Along with many other Irish based banks, the Danish-owned National Irish Bank has had its difficulties over the past few years.

It reported a pre-tax loss of €400 million in the first half of this year after setting aside €420m for loan impairment charges.

For the same period a year earlier, the bank reported a loss of €341m after setting aside about €367m.

An Taisce, the national trust for Ireland, is currently reviewing planning permission in Fingal for a change of use from a bank to a funeral home, an application that is expected to be granted without too much difficulty.

“This is a genuine application for change of use,” said Charles Stanley-Smith.

Barely able to contain his amusement, he added: “We do not anticipate any difficulty with planning permission in this regard.”