A call has been made for a pub that has been turned into a chef training facility in Reading to be reopened to the public.
The Narrowboat at Blakes Lock near Reading town centre used to be a riverside pub run by Fuller’s Brewery.
It used to be called the Bel & Dragon, but was renamed after a refurbishment in August 2023.
However, around six months after the renaming, Fuller’s closed The Narrowboat to the public and turned it into a chef training facility.
These chefs are then dispatched to Fuller’s pubs, including The Three Guienas at Reading station, The Bull Inn at Sonning, The Volunteer in Theale and The Lock, Stock and Barrel in Newbury.
Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, is lobbying the brewery to reopen The Narrowboat to the public.
He said: “I’m working with the brewery and the local community to see if it can be reopened as a pub, and we’ve had a very encouraging meeting with Fuller’s recently.
“This much-loved local spot should remain part of our area’s social life – not be lost for good.”
Fuller’s won permission to convert the pub into a training facility from Reading Borough Council’s planning department in September last year.
The company then applied for further changes to the building, which involved replacing bench seating for the pub with free-standing kitchen equipment and sink cabinets.
Additionally, Fuller’s won permission to install two extract louvre vents, four air condensers, and a steelwork frame to the building to facilitate increased cooking on site.
The change of use of The Narrowboat was granted for a temporary period of five years.
A representative for Fuller’s stated the company is open to reopening the pub in the future.
A spokesperson for Fuller, Smith & Turner said: “We’re really proud of the centre of culinary excellence, which opened just last month in Reading on the site of the former Narrowboat.
“It means we retain the site in our estate and we have got permission to run it as our Kitchen Academy for the next four and a half years.
“The chefs we train at Reading will be going out into pubs right across Fuller’s estate.
“Faced with the alternative of having to close the site due to lack of trade, this is a great way to ensure it remains ready to reopen as a pub when the time is right.”
Other Fuller’s pubs in Berkshire include The Ship Inn, Wokingham, The Victoria Arms in Binfield and The Prince Arthur in Windsor.
You can view the approved conversion of the Narrowboat into a training facility by typing reference PL/24/0619 into the council’s planning portal.
