A NEW bar in Guiseley's former HSBC building is set to open in December.

The garden-themed Potting Shed has been created by Ormsborough Ltd, which already owns and operates similar bars in Bingley, Beverley, Northallerton and the outskirts of Hull.

The company has made a multi-million pound investment in transforming the imposing sandstone building on Oxford Road, preserving as many original features as possible to incorporate them into its trademark design.

Company director Allan Harper said they were pleased to be able to bring such a well-known feature of the town back into use.

"This is a beautiful building and, as with all the sites we take on, we take our responsibility to redevelop it very seriously," he said.

"The former bank has been given a sympathetic restoration and we are delighted with the results so far, but after so many months of work we wanted to make sure everything was perfect before we revealed it."

The original opening date has been put back a week while the finishing touches are put to the venue.

Mr Harper said: "We know a lot of people are very keen to get a look at what we’ve done and we’re excited to show it to them. Our VIP launch will now be a week later than originally planned, on Thursday December 14, followed by a grand opening on Friday December 15 so we hope everyone who had it in their diaries is able to make it and celebrate with us."