PUB giant JD Wetherspoon is in negotiations to buy a property in the Selby district.

The pub chain, which is known for selling discounted drinks, has been looking to acquire premises in Selby for some time.

It has now confirmed a site has been identified and talks are in place to buy it.

The move could mean good news for drinkers but it would bring increased competition for other pubs.

A spokesman for the company said: “We’ve been looking for a site in Selby for a number of years but that has not come to fruition for one reason or another. But Selby is still a town that we’re interested in opening a pub in, and the company has identified a site in the town.”

But the spokesman said he could not reveal the location of the site at the moment as negotiations were ongoing with the building’s owners.

There have been rumours of Wetherspoon’s opening a pub in the area for some time.

The Press reported last year how a planning application had been submitted by the pub chain to convert the former YMCA charity shop building in New Lane, Selby.

But this idea later created confusion when Wetherspoon said it had no intention of creating a pub at the premises and could only imagine it was a speculative application that had been submitted by an unknown employee.

There are various sites in Selby which could accommodate a Wetherspoon’s, including Kwik Save in Gowthorpe, which has been empty since 2007.