Plans to convert former RBS building in Aberdeen city centre into flats approved by councillors

Plans to convert the former flagship Royal Bank of Scotland building in the heart of Aberdeen city centre into flats have been given the go-ahead.

Aberdeen-based firm Sanaland Ltd lodged plans for the proposed transformation last summer.

It wanted to turn part of the ground floor and upper four storeys of the site into ten residential apartments.

The building has lain empty since the bank shut its doors to customers for the last time in November 2024.

However, Sanaland is no stranger to bringing old banks back to life.

The firm helped to convert the former Bank of Scotland branch on Union Street, also known as Canada House, into the popular Glenhouse restaurant.

According to Aberdeen City Council the B-listed granite building was designed by architects George Jenkins and George Marr, and built in the late 1920s.

The building also sits in the heart of the City Centre Conservation Area.

As part of the proposal, changes will be made to the modern rooftop extension, windows will be replaced and walls will be re-rendered.

Meanwhile, the current flat roof covering will be replaced as it is damaged and leaking – which is causing further damage inside.

A roof access door will be removed with a new double glazed window to be put in its place too.

The first, second and third floors will feature a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, while the top fourth floor will have one three-bedroom flat.

Council planners approved the plan saying it would be hugely beneficial for Aberdeen.

They said the development would “contribute towards the vitality and viability of the city centre, and the aims of the City Centre Masterplan”.

Planners believed it would create a “satisfactory residential amenity” in an accessible location for active travel and walking routes.

They also said the proposed changes to the building were of an “appropriate design, scale, siting and materials for the context of the building and wider area”.

Finally, council chiefs said creating homes in the empty city centre building would help to address the current housing need in the city and reduce the need to build elsewhere.