End of the road for truckers favourite Padworth pitstop?

A planning application is going before West Berkshire Council to demolish the much-loved cafe in favour of a new residential development on the site.
If approved, the new development, on Bath Road, Padworth, will be home to six three-bedroom and six two-bedroom houses.
However, manager and leaseholder for Max Cafe, Raff Vigliotti, is confident that the future of his business is safe.
“It’s not the time for us to start breaking down this, that and the other,” he said. “Every time planning goes through rumours begin to appear.”
Mr Vigliotti is so adamant that the future of Max Cafe is safe, he is in the process of making improvements to his business.
“I’m upgrading it a little because time has moved on. The cafe has been here since 1930 and the old traditional drivers are all retired, many aren’t even about anymore.
“I still want to keep it as a traditional transport cafe and I’m nearly finished with the new toilet and shower block.”
Mr Vigliotti revealed he has also applied for a beer license which would see the cafe attracting a new audience on a Friday and Saturday night, with the cafe currently being closed at these times.
It has been hit with numerous planning applications in the past 20 years, proving a hotspot for corporate and now residential development.
In 1993, Gowrings Mobility took a fancy to the site for a new car showroom and workshop. It seemed all systems go until the landlord and representatives from Gowrings failed to agree on a final figure for the sale.
Permission was then granted to turn the cafe’s grounds into a car workshop in 1997, but yet again failed to go ahead.
The fate of Max Cafe again lies in West Berkshire Council’s hands, with a final decision expected by January 4 next year.