Landmark pub is flattened... as mystery surrounds when new Greggs drive-thru set to replace it will open

A well-known, historic former pub in Stockport has been flattened. Yet mystery surrounds when a new drive-thru Greggs, which is set to replace it, will open.

Plans to demolish old Farmers Arms pub at the junction of Stockport Road and Edgeley Road in Cheadle Heath, a local landmark, were controversially given the green light last Autumn.

The pub closed during the first Covid lockdown and never re-opened. The brewery Greene King then submitted a planning application in July 2022 asking for permission to clear the site, which is said to have been home to a pub as far back as the 19th century, and replace it with a Greggs, including a drive-through lane.

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They were given the green light last September despite a backlash from locals and councillors, including some of those on the planning committee.

The chair, Coun Steve Gribbon, said: "I know the area well enough and I don't like the idea of this, but we have to look at the material considerations of the application" as they were waved through.

Demolition work began earlier this month. And views at the busy junction where it used to sit have been changed forever with the building having completely come down and been reduced to a pile of rubble.

With regards to what happens next, the Manchester Evening News asked Greggs when work on the eatery will begin and when it is likely to open. However, the chain said that as the project was in its 'early stages' they were unable to comment.

A Greene King spokesperson said they couldn't give a timeline, but said: "With the Farmers Arms closing in 2020, we reached the difficult conclusion that it was no longer viable as a pub. We’re working with Greggs