An iconic, Grade II listed former Leeds pub, which has suffered floods, fire and vandalism and gone through a five-year planning approval battle, is poised to provide a unique development opportunity after going on sale.

The disused Rising Sun pub on Kirkstall Road (A65), received detailed planning consent from Leeds City Council earlier this year, to convert the upper floors of the building into six apartments and offer the ground floor as a coffee bar and lounge, with additional land to the rear.

Strategic property and construction advisors, Fox Lloyd Jones has been appointed by the owner to lead the sale process and is welcoming offers from developers with the vision to transform the site into a thriving residential and hospitality space.

A key feature of the scheme, that will be hugely desirable to potential developers, is the additional land that has been purchased at the rear of the former pub to accommodate a car park totalling 25 spaces. The pub building itself spans a total of c. 7,500 sq. ft (across four floors, including the basement), with the additional parking taking the overall site to c. 0.37 acres.

Originally built in the 19th century, the pub was a Joshua Tetley Heritage Inn for many years and was reopened as a second-hand furniture shop in 2011, until it was damaged by fire in May 2013 and then flooded by the Boxing Day floods of 2015.

Maddy Wright, chartered surveyor at Fox Lloyd Jones, commented:

“The years of hard work that have gone into achieving planning approval by the vendor have paid off, creating a unique and highly prominent property development opportunity. We’re confident that developers with the right vision and knowledge of the local area, will sympathetically restore the ground floor area and stay true to its original layout and configuration, whilst transforming the building into a vibrant hospitality and residential location.”