Plans for a seven-storey bank on the site of the former Trimingham Brothers department store have been tweaked, it emerged last night.

If given the green light by planners, the new site will now feature ?additional Bermudian design elements?, the Bank of Bermuda said yesterday.

More than 20 objection letters ? including one from the Corporation of Hamilton ? have been lodged against the bid to transform the former department store into retail banking and office space.

But in a statement released yesterday, the bank said that in keeping with the ?transparency and collaboration? with which it had approached redevelopment of 39 Front Street, it would implement a number of ?progressive suggestions? from members of the community.

The statement added: ?The bank affirms its commitment to deliver to Bermuda an environmentally friendly and technologically advanced building, as indicated by our initial planning submission, while also featuring additional Bermudian design elements.?

No further details were released last night on what the Bermudian design elements would be.

But chief executive officer Philip Butterfield said in the statement: ?We are comfortable to incorporate into our plans ideas that enhance the integrity of the original design, enabling us to deliver a state-of-the-art building to Front Street.

?By limiting heat gain and maximising daylight in the building, Bank of Bermuda will be setting an example of sustainable development in action.

?We will also be emphasising a first-class working environment for our employees, while using energy efficient equipment and solar power.?

He added the bank had taken on the project with the ?utmost sensitivity?, balancing the historical and cultural importance of Front Street, needs of the community and the development potential of the site.

Mr. Butterfield said the bank intended to develop the site in a ?timely manner? rather than leave it mothballed for a long period, and he stressed the plans were submitted in line with the regular planning process and were not fast-tracked.

He said the bank would continue an ?open dialogue? with the community on the plans.

The Corporation of Hamilton has said the proposal was ?unsympathetic? to an historical area, while another objector said Hamilton was not ?New York, London, Hong Kong or Tokyo?.