Greggs Basildon Eastgate Shopping Centre new store work underway

The bakery, which will sit between the bus station and the shopping centre, is touted to open in October with the site currently surrounded by wooden hoardings. 

Signs on the outside of the hoardings reveal the bakery giant is planning to open the new shop "soon" - which will be its fourth bakery in the town centre and eighth in the wider Basildon borough. 

It is understood the new Greggs will replace the current site opposite the old M&S which is set to be demolished as part of plans to build 492 new homes in the town centre. 

Excited residents are hoping it will be larger and include more seating than the current Greggs. 

The site is currently under construction (Image: Roy Davis)

Abbie Cook, 23, said: "I usually come in every morning to get a coffee and something to eat and it’s always so busy in the nearby Greggs.

"The one in the town centre doesn’t have seats and isn’t very accessible to people like me with buggies. I would welcome a bigger one. It would make it easier for people like me.”

Basildon resident Steve Pyner, 56, echoes Abbie’s perspective, and thinks that the new Greggs has the chance to reduce the pressure on existing locations.

“If they’re upgrading that to a bigger one, I think it’s a pretty good idea because that one can be very busy,” he said.

Although Abbie and Steve welcome the addition of an extra Greggs to the town, others believe that Basildon already has enough.

Tyler Russell and Laurie Shelford, both 18, would welcome another food outlet in the Eastgate Shopping Centre, but think that the town is already saturated by Greggs.
“Definitely not another Greggs, there’s too many” said Tyler.

Laurie added: “Get a KFC, that’s what you should put there”.