British pub chain J D Wetherspoon have applied for the right licences to turn an unused building on Otley Road into a pub.

The successful company, who currently run over 900 pubs in the UK including seven in and around Leeds, purchased the Elinor Lupton Centre on Otley Road, which was formerly the Leeds Girls School building, earlier this year with plans to make it the first Wetherspoons pub on the notorious Otley run pub crawl.

University of Leeds graduate Will Fenwick said via Facebook, ‘I think it’s a good thing. That place is perfect for a pub and ‘spoons normally make good pubs. I think if anyone else tried to make it a pub or club there’s a good chance they would fail because of the stiff competition in that area.’

However, not everyone has reacted as favorably to the news. Local resident Will Harry Ball said on the social media site, ‘Leeds really doesn’t need more bars/pubs. [I would prefer] Something that would actually benefit the community, students or otherwise.’

It is still unclear when a decision regarding licencing will be made.

Greg Whitaker