A new bar with games such as Bavarian axe throwing has been granted a licence by Reading Borough Council, despite concerns from neighbours above the site.
Boom Battle Bar will open at Unit No. L30, Lower Level, Oracle Shopping Centre and will also feature games such as ‘crazier’ golf, electric darts, shuffleboard, and beer pong.
Head of operations Allan Cook said Boom Battle Bar will bring the empty unit “back to life”.
Concerns were raised by Premier Suites, which manages 41 serviced apartments above the old Lakeland store.
But councillors on the Licensing Applications sub-committee backed the plan at a meeting last Thursday, after hearing from the applicant and objector.
Premier Suites sales manager Laura Grantham said she thinks “the bar will be good for Reading” but raised concern about the late hours, noise and anti-social behaviour.
She said she believes there are already enough bars in the area and is worried about the impact on the apartments above.
Her main concern was people making noise while smoking outside and leaving the venue.
She said guests already regularly complain about being disturbed late at night due to the other bars on Gun Street. The new games bar would further add to noise levels.
But Boom Battle Bar said the extra venue “will make the area quieter” as there would be extra staff supervising on the street, helping to move people on.
And the committee said these concerns should be raised with councillors so they can be addressed.
Ms Grantham also raised concern about a Swindon newspaper article which reported that cinemagoers said they could not hear films because of the Boom Battle Bar below it.
Marcus Lavell, legal counsel for Boom Battle Bar, said the Swindon venue has a live music section which is what caused the issues, and there will be no live music area in the smaller Reading site.
Allan Cook, head of operations at Boom Battle Bar, called the Swindon situation “unacceptable” and “embarrassing”, saying the music was turned up too loud and they now have music limiters at all bars so this does not happen again.
The council and police withdrew their objections after a set of draft conditions and adjusted hours were agreed.
Boom Battle Bar will open from 11am-12.30am, Sunday-Thursday and 11am-1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Boom Battle Bar has franchises in Cardiff, Eastbourne, Lakeside, Liverpool and Norwich, and is planning to open in 23 more locations including Reading.
It is owned by the company behind Flip Out, adventure and trampoline parks across the UK, including in Aylesbury and Basingstoke.
Lakeland moved from the Minster Street site to Broad Street in November 2019.
