A few weeks ago I blogged about the "re-vamp" of the Kings Tavern on Kings Road following it's enforced closure in June by Reading Borough Council following months of problems.
The pub is due to re-open this Friday.
My colleagues and I shared residents' serious concerns that problems identified previously at the venue could recur.
Our concerns were heightened further when we learned that the operators of this venue had applied for temporary event licences for late night events later this month.
Our fears are based on the fact that we received a very large number of complaints from local residents about this venue relating to noise and serious anti-social behaviour. This prompted us to support residents in their calls for a review of the licence earlier this year.
We are very supportive of all local venues in the ward which add something to the local community and which do there best to abide by licensing rules and regulations about noise etc to ensure that local people are not disturbed.
I have actively supported the campaign to re-open the Jolly Anglers in Newtown: a much-missed community pub.
Operators of pubs which are located in quiet residential parts of town, like the Kings Tavern, have to do more than those running town centre venues to ensure they do not cause a nuisance to neighbours.
There are plenty of local pubs in Reading which manage to do this very successfully.
Today's getreading story confirms what I heard recently that Admiral Taverns has put the Kings Tavern up for sale and have given Ms Sama, the Landlady, 28 days to leave.
Throughout this process Ms Sama seems not to have been in control of events at this venue and her comments today are no different:
'Pub manager Amida Sama, who has spent £10,000 on the refurb, was left shocked when the Post broke the news yesterday, adding: “I had no idea about this, but I will look into it.”
It is not clear what the future holds for the Kings Tavern. We hope that the new owners - whoever they are - will be able to turn this venue into a thriving community pub although I have my doubts if that is possible.
Given where it is located it will be vital that the new owners of this venue don't repeat the mistakes made by Ms Sama and Admiral Taverns.
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