ANZ to close Upper Ferntree Gully branch leaving suburb with no bank

A SUBURB in Melbourne’s outer east will be left without a bank in a month, with one of the big four confirming it is closing its branch in the town.

The ANZ has confirmed it is closing its Upper Ferntree Gully branch next month.

UPPER Ferntree Gully will be left without a bank in a month, with the ANZ confirming it is closing its branch in the town.

ANZ spokesman Peter Hession said customer accounts would be transferred to Rowville — 11km away — when the bank closes on June 7.

Mr Hession said the bank’s ATM would also be removed when “a new permanent location is identified”.

People making the shift to online banking, and a fall in over-the-counter transactions, were reasons behind the bank’s decision to close the branch, he said.

Mr Hession said a detailed review led to the “difficult” decision to close the branch.

He said they would make every effort to redeploy affected staff.

In light of the closure, Upper Ferntree Gully man and ANZ customer Bob Cole said he would switch banks to one that was based in Ferntree Gully.

He said a lot of older people would be upset about the closure.

“I’m over 70 and I’m still an active worker and I can get around, but there are older people in that area ... that would have no hope at all of being able to get to the (nearest ANZ branch) in Boronia, because of their age and social situation,” Mr Cole said.

He said the bank was also a “social hub” for older people.

The Bendigo Bank has community bank branches in Rowville, Scoresby, Ferntree Gully and Upwey.

Bendigo Bank spokeswoman Emily Byrne said they had no plans to open a branch in Upper Ferntree Gully, but the decision to open a branch was driven by community demand.