A bar known for hosting reggae and jungle DJ nights in Reading town has won its bid for a new licence.
Bar Iguana is located within a first-floor unit of the Broad Street Mall in St Mary’s Butts, with access at street level.
It has a pedigree for hosting reggae, dub and jungle music DJs, and has also hosted films and dance performances in the past.
Bar Iguana recently won permission to keep these activities going until 2.30am Sunday to Thursday, and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.
Permission was given by Reading Borough Council’s licensing department.
No objections were raised in a statutory consultation that expired in June, with the licence being granted after that.
The grant of the licence supersedes a bizarre arrangement where the licence of Bar Iguana and the Premier store on the ground floor was shared.
A council licensing officer explained: “This has essentially split the one licence into two separate licences.
“Both licences retain the same activities, hours and conditions of their respective parts of the original licence.”
Both premises faced losing the opportunity to sell alcohol in 2020 as Thames Valley Police licensing officer Simon Wheeler submitted a review application.
At the time, he wrote: “There has been a history of poor management and processes linked to this premises licence and numerous incidents of crime and disorder involving both individuals and groups.”
The licences for Bar Iguana, Premier and neighbouring Favourite were clipped back at a meeting in July 2020.
However, an appeal was lodged against that decision, with the council signing a consent order, effectively settling the dispute outside of court in 2022/23.
