MORE than 50 people are objecting to a plan to convert a former bank into a coffee shop in Alresford.

Coffee #1 wants to convert the basement and ground floor of the Grade II listed Barclays Bank on East Street into a cafe.

The site is very prominent on the junction of West Street, East Street and Broad Street.

New Alresford Town Council has welcomed the restoration of the building but says there are too many coffee shops already in the town.

The number of such shops is not a planning issue, says the report to the planning committee which meets today.

There have been 54 objections with concerns about access and highway safety, parking, sustainability, lighting and the suitability of the proposed signage and colour scheme which are not in keeping with the character of the Georgian market town.