A dormant riverside pub in Reading is set to be brought back into use with flats above it.
The Jolly Angler along the River Kennet has been closed since November 2023.
A developer has won permission to retain the pub and also create a home of multiple occupation (HMO) on the site as well.
That is just one of the plans that have been decided by Reading Borough Council recently.
In Oxford Road, the use of land as a car wash next to a long-vacant pub is in doubt, and changes have been made to a building project next to another pub that closed in 2024.
You can view each decided application by typing the reference in brackets into the council’s planning portal.
Redevelopment of Jolly Angler approved (PL/26/0016)
The redevelopment of The Jolly Anglers on the Kennet Side has been given the go-ahead by the council.
The plan will see the pub retained on the lower ground floor, and the upper floors converted into an eight-bed HMO.
This involves internal works, extensions, and notably, the removal of the pool and ‘beach’ area created by former landlord Xhemail Zeqiri to be turned into a residential garden.
Planning officer Alison Amoah noted that the project would meet overall housing needs and potentially have less impact than the pub did when it was open due to the garden being made private.
Car wash at dormant pub in doubt (PL/25/1644)
The use of land next to The Restoration pub building as a car wash is in doubt due to the expiry of a plan seeking to maintain consent for the operation.
Car washes have variously occupied land next to the pub since 2009.
The company Car Wash Five Star Ltd won temporary permission to operate there in October 2022, after it moved from its original site in London Road.
A woman applied to extend hand wash operations in November last year, but this application expired in January, with principal planning officer Anthony Scoles disposing of it on August 13.
Redevelopment of beauty salon building next to pub (PL/26/0206)
A developer has made changes to a plan to redevelop the building currently occupied by the Lux Lounge beauty salon in Oxford Road.
The Lux Lounge is open from Tuesday to Saturday, situated next to The Royal Albion, which closed in October 2024.
The project involves extensions to create three commercial units and four flats.
An adjustment means the loss of one parking space to make way for an enhanced waste and recycling storage area.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging at South Reading destination (PL/26/0052)
Six EV chargers are set to be installed at the Reading Gateway food and retail destination.
These chargers will be positioned in two separate areas in the car park, providing 12 spaces for EV drivers.
One set will be positioned near Proctor End South, with the other placed near the Premier Inn hotel.
