Starbucks has responded to growing speculation that the coffee chain could take over the former HSBC bank building in Pudsey.

The global brand refused to confirm or deny whether it will transform the empty building into a new Starbucks coffee shop.

Church Court (Morley) Ltd successfully applied to Leeds City Council to change the building's use from a bank to a coffee shop.

The application was approved earlier this month. 

Writing on behalf of its client, agency Code L6 Architecture applied for new use as a "coffee shop within the ground floor of the building".

After the T&A contacted Starbucks for a response, a spokesperson said the brand has "no updates to share about plans in Pudsey".

In a statement, Starbucks said: "We are always looking for new locations and opportunities to bring the Starbucks Experience to customers in the UK, but at this time we have no updates to share about plans in Pudsey.”

The building, found on Church Lane, has remained empty for almost two years.

The branch was closed along with 27 other banks as part of a wave of closures.

More and more customers had turned to different forms of banking, HSBC said, making them less reliant on using a branch.