A pub in Reading that has been closed for years is set to be knocked down and replaced with a drive-thru Greggs.
The George & Dragon on Bath Road is a Greene King pub that was run as a Hungry Horse family restaurant. The pub has been closed since the pandemic in March 2020.
The building will now be demolished and replaced with a drive-thru Greggs.
Greene King Commercial Investments had attempted to either sell or lease the pub with Savills estate agents, both before and after its closure, but no offers were made.
A viability report written by Kevin Marsh, a director of Savills, pointed out that there are 13 pubs within 2.1 miles of the George & Dragon.
He assessed that it would cost £1.173 million to refurbish and reopen the pub, with additional start-up costs of £246,550.
He concluded: “The Property relied heavily on trade from the local community, however given the strong local competition, trade had steadily declined.”
Ultimately, Greene King made the decision to close the pub as this option lost less money than keeping the pub open.
“The property would require a comprehensive refurbishment in order to re-open.”
Ultimately, Greene King Commercial Investments decided to partner with Greggs to build a drive-thru cafe in its place.
The project was approved by James Crosbie, Reading Borough Council’s assistant director of planning, transport and regulatory services.
It will involve the demolition of the existing buildings and the construction of a single-storey building with site adjustments to facilitate a drive-thru.
The facility will have 33 car parking spaces. Of those, two will be disabled accessible, two will be waiting bays and 10 will be reserved for electric cars.
The application reference 230471 was approved on December 21, 2023.
There are currently six Greggs bakeries in Reading Borough, and three within the town centre. Greggs in West Street closed last year.
A plan by Cube Real Estate to build a drive-thru Greggs was refused by the council’s planning applications committee in September 2022. That plan is the subject of an appeal.
The Greggs replacing the George & Dragon would be the second bakery on a pub site, with the chain taking over the Wellington Arms in Katesgrove in 2019.
