Construction work on the Robb and Camp streets building being erected to house some of the departments of Republic Bank is now expected to be completed by the end of March this year, accordingly to a senior official of the bank.

Senior Manager, Corporate and Management Services, Keith Johnson told Stabroek Business in a telephone interview earlier this week that the earlier scheduled completion time of the end of February can no longer be met in view of circumstances beyond the bank’s control.

During last year Stabroek Business had been given a completion date of February 2008 and had been told that the new facility would be ready for occupancy in March. However, according to Johnson delays in the construction process had arisen primarily as a result of a shortage of building materials, mainly stone. He said that the bank was now satisfied that the new deadline for the completion of the building will be met. Johnson also told Stabroek Business that the bank was satisfied with the quality of the work being provided by the contractor.

According to Johnson the erection of the new structure had arisen out of the need to provide an enhanced quality of service to meet the needs of the bank’s growing customer. He said that apart from improving the service currently being offered by the bank’s Regent and Camp streets branch, the new premises will also service the bank’s customers currently using its Savage street (GPO Building) Branch as well as the bank’s Commercial Credit Department.

The completion of the new three-storey Republic Bank building will further transform the architectural landscape of commercial Georgetown which has historically been dominated by wooden buildings.

In recent years the expansion of several of the older businesses in the urban commercial sector, the growth of the wholesale and retail trade and the emergence of a new generation of commercial banks have resulted in the re-design and renovation of several old buildings in downtown Georgetown and the erection of new structures.

The most prominent of these new structures is the Camp and Regent streets City Mall which was opened in December 2006.