National Deposit House Leeds: What's planned for former city centre bank and old Leeds Gas Showroom

Plans were initially submitted for the vacant National Deposit House at the corner of Eastgate and Vicar Lane back in September 2021 and won approval from the city council last year. The Grade II listed part of the building at 1 Eastgate is a former bank and offices that were built in 1932 to designs by Sir Reginald Blomfield, with an Historic England listing saying it was once home to the Leeds and Holbeck Building Society – better known now as Leeds Building Society. It was part of an intended quartet of banks at the junction of the Headrow, Vicar Lane and Eastgate.

The plans put forward by EGPL Property Limited sought to change the use of the listed building from vacant offices to residential apartments, with only minor external alterations to be made. A statement submitted with its application said the scheme would be completed in partnership with YPP Investments, which has “a proven track record of converting listed buildings into high quality residential developments”. A total of nine apartments have been proposed, including a studio apartment and mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments.

The adjoining shops and offices were built in the 1960s, with the former Leeds Gas Showroom included in the footprint of the property now poised for development. The plans say that this part of the site will be split into two commercial units, with a new entrance lobby created for the second unit.

Approval was granted with various conditions, including for council officers to sign off on materials to be used and plans for minimising disruption to the public while the redevelopment work is carried out. The scaffolding going up at the site suggests the initial conditions that would pave the way for work to begin have now been met.

Meanwhile, scaffolding also surrounds the former bank on the opposite side of Vicar Lane. Redditch Investments Ltd won permission last October to redevelop the Grade II listed building at 2 The Headrow, which has been empty since 2015. There will be up to 23 one or two-bedroom apartments, with flexible commercial or residential use on the ground floor. There will be only 18 apartments if a commercial use is adopted.