National Commercial Bank (NCB) will by early April close its branch at the Harbour View Shopping Centre in Kingston.

NCB Group managing director Patrick Hylton, speaking at the firm’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, said the branch will be shut down as a result of “severe challenges with the physical infrastructure” of the building.

Audrey Tugwell-Henry, NCB senior general manager of Retail Banking, who was also at the AGM, said that the facility, which offers the full range of services of the commercial bank, will be relocated to the Windward Road, Kingston office at the end of March to early April.

“We don’t consider it a closure, because it is a merger of two units,” she said. “We are located in the shopping mall and there are some infrastructural issues in terms of the size and the space of the premises. This has made it very difficult to operate there.”

Tugwell-Henry said the Windward Road location is more adequate and the facility, which includes a drive through teller and adequate parking, makes it a better location. The move, she said, will result in a full service operation at Windward Road, which was not previously available at the location because the branch has been operating as an agency.

“Windward Road actually was not as utilised as Harbour View so it will be a better and more convenient location for our customers,” Tugwell-Henry said.

She added that the move would not directly impact the more than 20 employees currently at the Harbour View branch, but acknowledged that the company will review the effectiveness and efficiency of its staff.

“I wouldn’t say that specific event will affect the staff complement,” she said, adding “As with anything else we will consistently look at the numbers within the organisation — We will look at our ability to run the organisation with the present situation.”

But while the branch at Harbour View will be closed, Tugwell-Henry said that other banking facilities, including ATMs, in the community will remain, adding that customers in the area will be encouraged to utilise these service points.

However, one senior citizen angrily protested the move at the AGM, saying that it would be difficult for him to transact his business when the Harbour View branch is closed.

“We know that there are a number of senior citizens that might be impacted because they might have some difficulty commuting, so we are looking at what are our options in support of that,” said Tugwell-Henry in response to Sunday Finance queries about what will be done for the older clients.

She said that among the options being considered is building the information communication use among the senior citizens and the possibility of a shuttle service to another location.

“We have looked at almost everything, but we have not confirmed how we will address all the issues,” she said.