The construction of new flats near Reading town centre is almost complete on a site where a historic pub once stood.
The Red Lion pub previously stood for hundreds of years at 34 Southampton Street, within walking distance of the town centre.
The building dated back to the 17th century, but faced difficulties around eight ago.
The pub was closed for refurbishment in 2016, but according to the Campaign for Real Ale, the works were never carried out and the establishment was boarded up.
The Red Lion was allegedly put on sale but was never brought back into use.
After two years of closure, a plan was submitted to replace it with flats.
Before it was demolished, the building was briefly occupied by squatters in solidarity with the people and revolutions of Kurdistan.
The Kurds are a Middle-Eastern ethnic group who do not have an official state of their own, with their homeland spread across Türkiye, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Squatters occupied the pub for around a month before being served an eviction notice in December 2019.
The occupation of the pub took place months after Reading Borough Council approved the plan to demolish it and replace it with flats.
The project did prove contentious when it was being discussed.
Sophia James, a Labour councillor for Katesgrove at the time said: “Numerous Katesgrove ward residents are rather concerned and dismayed with the proposed development.
“The scheme will not provide a social, environmental and economic benefit to the area, hence, it cannot be classed as a sustainable development.”
Although parts of the building may have gone back to the 17th century, Historic England considered the Red Lion pub to be altered too much to be listed.
Meanwhile, council planning officer Jonathan Markwell judged that the loss of the pub was justified, with the new building providing an ‘adequate standard of accommodation’ for future occupants.
Ultimately the project was approved at a planning applications committee meeting on March 6, 2019.
That cleared the way for development company Macniven Quays to replace the pub with a four-storey block containing one studio, eight one-bedroom and two two-bedroom flats.
The Red Lion was completely demolished in September 2021, with work beginning in May 2022.
Since then, work has been in progress on the project, occasionally requiring the closure of the leftmost lane on the approach to the IDR roundabout.
While the exterior is mostly complete, the site remains sealed off. Work from inside the building could be heard at the site on Tuesday, October 22.
You can view the approved project by typing reference 181117 into the council’s planning portal.
