HSBC Chapel Allerton: Former Leeds bank building transformed into luxury flats as project nears completion

The former HSBC building in Chapel Allerton takes up a prominent corner plot on Harrogate Road, opposite the old police station. The branch closed down in 2021 and has been vacant since.

Oasis Properties took on the site around a year ago as an in-house project. The business, primarily a student estate agents, is branching out into the professionals market - and this is one of their first bites of the cherry.

The project, which is very near completion, has seen the upstairs floors transformed into three two-bedroom duplex apartments, which are being furnished this week.

The ground floor will house two commercial units, which will soon be available to rent.

Lettings manager Danielle Joslin told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “This project has been a real labour of love.

"I don’t think people realise how big the building is inside - it’s huge. Then you’ve got features like the old safe that need special equipment to take away.

“We’ve had amazing builders working on it. Upstairs has been developed really tastefully, keeping the sash windows - we didn’t want to change the building from the outside.

“The apartments are perfect for young professionals. They’re done out really, really nicely. Chapel Allerton always gets a high yield anyway, the positioning is amazing. 

“There’s lots of people who don’t want to live in town, but want that vibrant, city lifestyle, and the Chapel Allerton area is just perfect for that.

"You’ve got the bars, you’ve got the restaurants. It will be exciting for whoever moves in.”

The commercial lets are nearing completion and it’s not yet confirmed which businesses will be popping up in the site - Danielle said it was important to have the right fit. 

Run by two brothers from north Leeds, James and Danny Rosenburg, Oasis Properties was founded in 1996 and now has hundreds of student properties in its portfolio.

The Chapel Allerton project was a new challenge for the business, one that Danielle says has paid off.

“We’re really proud of what we’ve developed,” she added.

“ remember going in when it was a shell and being blown away by how big it was. Even going back in the space of a few weeks, I couldn’t believe the progress.

“Going forward, we want to do more in the area - looking for projects around Chapel Allerton, Horsforth, Meanwood, those up-and-coming, buzzing areas.

"We’re always going to cater for students, but that’s the direction we want to go in.”