GREGGS is leading a woman to threaten she will sell up as a drive-thru is set to become her next door neighbour.

Kathy Skinner, 51, fears the vehicles in line for their sausage rolls will bring fumes, noise, and litter and ruin her Reading home.

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The drive thru will be within metres of Kathy’s home and she told the Daily Mail she would now be eating her dinner with car fumes coming over her fence.

She said: “As a result of this drive thru, there will be noise and pollution directly into my garden, and I am an avid gardener – I bought my house for the garden, it’s where I eat.”

A building which was once a pub, the George and Dragon, is two lots over and is set to be demolished making way for the new Greggs building.

But the empty lot in between will have the drive thru and a 33-space car park built on it.

Kathy said she and her neighbour’s didn’t receive planning notices from the council, but the council said it delivered 204 letters.

So, she described finding out the council had approved the drive-thru next to her home in December as a “kick in the teeth”.

“Lighting – once again – within metres of my boundary fence. They will say that modern technology can focus the light down but it’s still going to bring a significant amount of light pollution into my garden and my neighbours’ back bedrooms.”

Kathy said that the land should have been used as something which would have brought a sense of community to her Southcote suburb.

Kathy is now going to start a letter writing campaign to Greggs, the George and Dragon pub, and the council as she is too late for any legal action.

She said: “If I do move, I’ll be moving out of Reading.” 

A spokesperson for Greene King told The Mail: “The George & Dragon has been closed for almost four years and regrettably even once Covid-19 restrictions were lifted the pub was not economically viable to reopen. 

“We have opted to work with Greggs to bring the area back into use and create a number of local jobs. 

“We took our proposal to Reading Borough Council last year and were pleased to receive approval for the scheme in December.”

Reading Borough Council said: “A total of 204 letters were sent to neighbours in the vicinity as part of the usual planning application consultation process, with a total of five objections received in response.

I bought my house for the garden, it’s where I eat

Kathy Skinner

“As is always the case, the decision to grant planning permission followed an assessment of all relevant considerations, such as the heritage value of the building, impact on neighbours, the appropriateness of the use and environmental concerns.

“We fully appreciate there may be concerns around traffic, but in reaching a decision it was acknowledged that the existing use was that of an often-busy family pub and, although closed, the building could have reopened for that purpose at any time. 

“In this context, the proposed use was deemed acceptable. Conditions were additionally imposed seek to manage opening times, and therefore times when external lighting is on, to protect neighbours and the proposal does include additional tree planting on the eastern boundary. 

“The applicant has been advised to submit details of planting and management of the trees to ensure neighbouring properties not impacted.

“We would also emphasise the application was the subject of considerable negotiation by the case officer and applicant.”

Greggs and Reading Council have been contacted by The Sun for comment. 

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