We analyse the $\ell^2(π)$-convergence rate of irreducible and aperiodic Markov chains with $N$-band transition probability matrix $P$ and with invariant distribution $π$. This analysis is heavily based on: first the study of the essential spectral radius $r\_{ess}(P\_{|\ell^2(π)})$ of $P\_{|\ell^2(π)}$ derived from Hennion's quasi-compactness criteria; second the connection between the Spectral Gap property (SG$\_2$) of $P$ on $\ell^2(π)$ and the $V$-geometric ergodicity of $P$. Specifically, (SG$\_2$) is shown to hold under the condition $ α\_0 := \sum\_{{m}=-N}^N \limsup\_{i\rightarrow +\infty} \sqrt{P(i,i+{m})\, P^*(i+{m},i)}\ \textless{}\, 1 $ Moreover $r\_{ess}(P\_{|\ell^2(π)}) \leq α\_0$. Effective bounds on the convergence rate can be provided from a truncation procedure.