Jolly Angler to Reopen with New Flats Above

A dormant riverside pub in Reading is set to be brought back into use with flats above it. The Jolly Angler, closed since November 2023, has been granted permission for redevelopment (PL/26/0016).

The scheme keeps the pub on the lower ground floor and converts the upper floors into an eight-bed HMO. It includes internal works, extensions and the removal of the pool and 'beach' area created by former landlord Xhemail Zeqiri, which will become a private garden. Planning officer Alison Amoah said the project would meet housing needs and could have less impact than when the pub was open because the garden will be private.

The use of land next to The Restoration as a car wash is now in doubt (PL/25/1644). Car Wash Five Star Ltd had temporary permission from October 2022, but a November application to extend hand-wash operations expired in January and was disposed of by principal planning officer Anthony Scoles on August 13.

Changes have also been approved for the Lux Lounge building in Oxford Road, next to the Royal Albion which closed in October 2024 (PL/26/0206). The revised plan proposes three commercial units and four flats, and gives up one parking space to improve waste and recycling storage.

Finally, six EV chargers will be installed at the Reading Gateway food and retail destination, split across two car-park areas to provide 12 spaces: one set near Proctor End South and the other by the Premier Inn (PL/26/0052).

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter