Halifax closes its Commercial Way branch and its cash machine on 23 September. LINK ordered no replacement services. Where its 411 regulars can bank instead.
Halifax will close its Woking branch at 22-24 Commercial Way on Wednesday 23 September, the bank has confirmed in its own branch review document.
The cash machine goes with it. Halifax states plainly in the review that it will close the ATM at the branch as well as the counter.
The bank gives one reason: “with most now using our app, online services or phone banking, we’re closing our Woking branch.”
Who still uses it
The review carries Halifax’s own usage figures for the branch, all measured in the six or twelve months to February 2026:
- 411 customers used the counter or the deposit machine in four months out of six
- 24 per cent of the branch’s customers had also used another Halifax branch over a year
- 71 per cent had used another branch and online or phone banking over six months
- 21 per cent had used the branch and the Post Office over a year
The age profile is the part worth noting. Halifax records that 43 per cent of the branch’s customers are 55 or over, split 29 per cent aged 55 to 74 and 14 per cent aged 75 and above. A further 34 per cent are 35 to 54, and 17 per cent are 18 to 34.
The sixth counter to go, and LINK has ordered nothing in any of them
Under Financial Conduct Authority rules, LINK must independently assess access to cash whenever a branch closes. Its verdict for Woking is “no additional services”, meaning no banking hub and no deposit machine will be provided to replace the branch.
That is now the sixth such verdict in the borough. LINK’s public register, published on 14 August, records these assessments in Woking borough since 2022:
| Bank | Address | Date | LINK verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSBC | 6 Commercial Way | 28 July 2022 | No additional services |
| NatWest | 1 High Street | 21 August 2024 | No additional services |
| Barclays | Town Gate House, Church Street East | 3 October 2025 (relocation) | No additional services |
| Santander | Unit 38, The Peacocks | 28 April 2026 | No additional services |
| Lloyds | 23 Old Woking Road, West Byfleet | 1 June 2026 | No additional services |
| Halifax | 22-24 Commercial Way | 23 September 2026 | No additional services |
Three of those six fall inside a single six-month stretch of 2026. A separate community request covering Coldharbour Road in Pyrford, published on 1 July this year, also returned “no additional services”.
LINK does sometimes order a replacement. In the same register, Godalming in neighbouring Waverley was granted “a banking hub with an ATM” when the closure of its NatWest branch at 77 High Street, due on 23 February 2027, was assessed.
Where to bank instead
Halifax names two alternatives in its review, both a short walk from the closing branch:
- Lloyds, 32 Commercial Way, GU21 6ER. Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm, Wednesday 10am to 4.30pm, and Saturday 9.30am to 1pm. It has counter service, a self-service zone, a cash machine inside and outside, and level or ramp access. Halifax, Lloyds and Bank of Scotland customers can all use it. Lloyds Woking does not appear on Lloyds’ own list of branches due to close.
- Woking Post Office, 41-43 Commercial Way, GU21 6XR. You can pay in and take out notes and coins, pay bills and check your balance. Cheques are not accepted.
The Post Office option comes with limits that the “no additional services” verdict quietly relies on. Halifax’s own Post Office banking page sets them out:
- Free cash withdrawals of up to £300 a day, which count towards your £800 daily cash machine limit
- Paying in capped at £2,995 a month and £20,000 a year
What it means for you
If you use the branch counter, your last day is 23 September. Halifax says it is writing to customers directly, and is also contacting Woking’s MP, the Post Office, the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters, the local Citizens Advice service and the Chamber of Commerce. Their feedback will be published in the branch and online two weeks before it shuts.
If you rely on the cash machine there, plan for it going too. The nearest free alternative named by Halifax is at Lloyds, 32 Commercial Way.
If you think the decision is wrong, there is a formal route. Local residents and organisations have 28 days from LINK’s assessment to request a review or appeal, and anyone can ask LINK to look at cash access in their area at any time.
If you bank with Halifax anywhere, a wider change is coming. Halifax states on its closures page that the Halifax brand is changing to Lloyds, and that most Halifax branches will either rebrand or be served by an existing Lloyds branch. It says this does not alter any closure already announced.
Commercial Way is also the street that fills with the Woking Car Show on 20 September, three days before the branch shuts.
Sources
- Halifax Woking branch review, part 1 (PDF), for the closure date, the usage and age figures, the alternative branch and Post Office, and the ATM closure. The document is dated May 2026.
- Halifax branch closures list, for the Woking listing and the Lloyds rebrand statement.
- LINK access to cash assessments register, published 14 August 2026, for every Woking borough assessment and each “no additional services” verdict.
- Halifax Post Office banking, for the withdrawal and paying-in limits.
Have your say
We read every message. To comment on this story, email the newsdesk and we may publish a selection of responses: hello@wokingonline.co.uk.