A planning application to demolish the Cross Keys pub on Rooley Lane and build a drive thru bakery run by the high street giant has been approved by Bradford Council.

The pub, which also has a large car park area, is currently vacant, and in recent months the site has been beset by issues like fly tipping and anti-social behaviour.

5apphire Ltd submitted an application to clear the site and replace it with a Greggs in July. The application said the pub had shut “long before the pandemic” and that there was “no realistic prospect” that the drinking venue would re-open any time soon.

Three people had objected to the plans, while six people had written to Bradford Council in support of the new Greggs.

Planning officers said: “The demolition of the stone built public house is unfortunate however the building is not statutorily protected i.e. it is not a listed building or within a conservation area and so if a building of a good design is proposed it is not considered to be reasonably to insist on its retention.

“There is also considered to be an adequate level of parking provision and sufficient space within the site for cars to queue within the site to make use of the drive-through.”

The bakery chain opened its first drive thru in 2017 in Manchester, and has only opened a limited number of drive thru’s since, although they are now looking to expand this side of their business, with new branches having opened in Wales and Cumbria in 2021.

Applicants 5aphire LTD is made up of director of commercial development Harry Khinda and director of strategy Amardeep Atwal, who are both originally from the Rooley Lane area.

Mr Khinda said: “It will be the first drive thru Greggs in Yorkshire. There are only about six or seven across the country. Greggs are looking to expand this part of their business.

“We had a lot of interest in the site from names like Costa and Tim Hortons. We decided to go with Greggs, we felt it would be the perfect fit for that area.

“With the area it is in we thought it would be better to be a Greggs than a Costa. People would be less likely to spend £6 on a coffee and sandwich. Greggs is much cheaper.

“It will be a place people can meet up, or just get something to eat on the way to work. There is a lot of employment in that area – it is a main road into Bradford with a lot of employers and lots of houses nearby.”

He said recent years have seen a garage at the rear of the site torched by arsonists, people using the car park of the vacant building for drug use and someone fly tipping over 400 tyres on the site.

He said the pub shut because it was “not frequented enough” and added: “This is a much better use for the site. I think it will be really well used, I think greggs will struggle to keep up with demand – it is one of the busiest roads in Bradford.”

He said now planning permission has been granted the pub will be demolished “imminently” and that construction of the Greggs building would likely begin in the New Year.

The new bakery is likely to create between 20 and 25 jobs, and would open from 6am to 10pm.

One condition of the application is that electric vehicle charging points are installed in the business’ car park.

The first drive-thru Greggs in Yorkshire will be built on the site of an old pub