Fox and Hounds Pub Set for Nursery Transformation

The Fox and Hounds pub in Donnington looks set to be turned into a day nursery. Commercial property developer Cavendish and Gloucester says it has exchanged contracts on the pub, which until recently was listed on Rightmove for £550,000.

The company says market research shows a need for a day nursery in the area, adding that several have waiting lists.

The pub closed permanently on Saturday, May 9, 2026, after running for 12-and-a-half years under the management of Steph Vine and her team. In 2014 the Vine family bought the pub when it had closed and was about to be boarded up.

Planning documents note: "The pub was a viable business prior to the construction of the new A34 link road to the M4 in 1971." "This diverted traffic and trade to the east and away from the pub." "In 1998 the Newbury bypass was opened which left the pub isolated in an island surrounded by roads and dual carriageways."

The current application has not yet been registered on the West Berkshire Council planning portal.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter