Westminster Building Leeds conversion approved as Sing Kee Foods brings Victorian landmark back into use on New York Street

Leeds City Council has approved plans to convert the upper floors of Westminster Building Leeds into 18 residential apartments, giving the Grade II listed Victorian building on New York Street a new use after years of vacancy. The decision, dated 27 March 2026, grants full planning permission (ref: 25/05062/FU) to applicant Sing Kee Foods Ltd, the Leeds-based oriental supermarket group, which acquired the building after the council deemed it surplus to requirements. The ground floor commercial units will be retained.

The Building and the Conversion

Westminster Building Leeds, also known as St James’s Hall, is a four-storey Gothic Revival red brick building at 31 New York Street, LS2 7DT, designed by Thomas Ambler in 1877. It was originally built as a temperance hotel, public hall, and dining rooms, and sits directly adjacent to Kirkgate Market on its northern boundary. The upper three floors have been vacant, most recently used as offices, while the ground floor accommodates several independent retail units. The building sits within the Leeds City Centre Conservation Area, surrounded by other listed buildings.

The approved scheme delivers 18 apartments across the first, second, and third floors — a mix of one-bed and two-bed units designed to National Space Standards. Heritage features including coffered ceilings, decorative cornices, fireplaces, timber benches, and original staircases will be retained. External alterations are minimal: secondary glazing behind existing windows to improve thermal performance, and a new ventilation shaft on the roof. Den Architecture designed the conversion, with heritage assessment by MB Heritage.

From Council Surplus to Residential Use

The council marketed the building in late 2024 after concluding that refurbishment for its own use would be too expensive. Sing Kee is a family-run business founded in Leeds in 1987, known as one of Yorkshire’s largest oriental supermarket networks. The company already operates from the Sing Ying Building on Cross Stamford Street in Sheepscar and has stores in Leeds, Bradford, and across West Yorkshire. The Westminster Building acquisition represents a move into property development for the food business.

The conversion adds to the growing cluster of activity around Kirkgate Market, where STACK has submitted a planning application for a container-style leisure village, and where the lower Kirkgate regeneration and George Street hotel development are progressing nearby. For a building that has sat partly empty on one of the most prominent streets in the eastern city centre, bringing the upper floors back into residential use is a practical outcome that preserves the listed fabric while adding homes to the city centre housing stock.

Why this matters for Leeds

Westminster Building is one of the most prominent buildings on New York Street — a Grade II listed Victorian landmark sitting directly beside Kirkgate Market that has had vacant upper floors for years. The approval brings 18 new homes into the city centre while preserving the building’s heritage features. The fact that Sing Kee Foods, a well-known Leeds family business, is behind the scheme adds a local interest.