Work is steaming ahead to finish the construction of a new drive-thru Greggs along one of the busiest roads in Reading.
Construction has been taking place since last summer on a new Greggs bakery along the A4 Bath Road in Southcote, which replaces The George & Dragon pub.
The George & Dragon was completely demolished in August last year to make way for the drive-thru bakery following the sale of the site facilitated by Savills.
Since then, construction contractors for Greggs have been busy at work getting it ready to open in the coming months.
The exterior of the building is almost complete, with many of the outdoor features being completed as well.
Workers were seen putting the finishing touches to landscaping during a visit to the site on Wednesday, February 5.
The car park has 33 spaces, including two disabled bays, two waiting bays, and 10 electric vehicle charging spaces.
The cycle shelter providing space for 10 bikes has also been completed.
It is understood that work on the site will be completed in March.
However, before it can open, Greggs requires advertising consent and planning permission for external fittings from Reading Borough Council.
The project to replace the pub with Greggs proved controversial due to neighbour concerns about traffic and disturbance caused by increased activity and lighting being installed near homes.
However, council planning officer Ethne Humphreys ultimately judged that the drive-thru would not cause significant harm to neighbours, with the project being approved in December 2023.
Progress on the site in Bath Road comes after a plan for another Greggs drive-thru near the Stadium Way Industrial Estate in Tilehurst was approved on appeal by a government-appointed planning inspector in March last year.
However, nothing has happened at that site.
Responding to a request for an update on the progress of both locations, a said: “Greggs is always looking into new shop locations. While we are unable to confirm anything at the moment, we will share any information in due course.”
Plans for advertising and external fit-out of the Bath Road site were submitted in January and are currently under consultation.
The advertising plan involves adding the Greggs trademark blue and orange branding to the building, with the fit-out involving the installation of air conditioning units.
You can view the applications by typing the references PL/25/0070 and PL/25/0071 into the council’s planning portal.
The George & Dragon served as a Greene King Hungry Horse pub and family restaurant but permanently closed in 2020.
There are now two Hungry Horse pubs in the area: the Victoria Cross off Basingstoke Road and the Wee Waif in Charvil, which is the sixth-best pub in the area according to TripAdvisor.
