Billericay Reid's could be demolished for new flats

Reid’s Bar and Grill, on Billericay’s Laindon Road, has been closed since flames ripped through its roof in July 2022.

Similar plans to convert the site were previously approved in 2024, just weeks before a second fire dashed their chances of being delivered.

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Vision - CGIs show what developers hope the building will look like (Image: Old School House)

The application that is now going through the council’s planning system would see the derelict building demolished as opposed to converted.

Filed by developer Old School House, the proposal seeks to create eight one bedroom and 24 two-bedroom homes on the Laindon Road site.

Documents submitted as part of the application state: “The proposed development is largely similar in nature to the previous application and the reason for this new application is because the existing building was damaged in a series of fires and is not in an appropriate condition for conversion.

“The proposal also includes secure cycle parking facilities and refuse storage, together with private outdoor space for residents.”

Transformed - The plans have been resubmitted following a fire last year (Image: Old School House)

In the wake of last year’s fire at the bar and restaurant, Essex Fire and Rescue Service revealed the result of an investigation into its cause as “undetermined”.

The bar had been closed for two years previously as a result of a separate blaze and has remained shut ever since.

Residents described seeing parts of the building collapse as they watched six fire crews working to tackle last year’s fire from nearby streets.

Flames - A fire ripped through the bar and restaurant in 2024 and 2022 (Image: Newsquest)

Valerie Burrows, 55, lives close to Laindon Road and said she would be pleased to see the derelict site redeveloped.

“I’m sure some people won’t like that they want to build more homes, but the fact that it isn’t on green belt land or fields for a change is a good thing,” she said.

“It isn’t nice to have to drive past it every day and although I think there will be noise and traffic from the building, it would be good to see it turned into something less ugly.”