A club in Reading that has been vacant for years is set to be turned into a convenience store.
The Neighbourhood bar, kitchen and social at the end of Friar Street was a short-lived venue that opened in the summer of 2020 but closed shortly afterwards.
The venue has remained closed ever since.
It was previously a club called Matchbox, which specialised in live DJ nights and cocktails.
But the club faced trouble after serious incidents took place in 2019.
One of these was an incident where Malcolm Callender died aged 48 with a fatal head injury following a ‘game of slaps’ with his son after they had visited Matchbox in April of that year.
Then, in December 2019, a brawl between two groups of men took place at Matchbox, which led to chairs being thrown and a fight spilling onto Friar Street.
The venue has been on sale for years, with a company called ‘Spirit Bar’ applying for alcohol sales and music until 2.30am in an application to Reading Borough Council from 2023.
However, Neighbourhood never reopened even after its planned takeover by Spirit Bar, and is now set to be converted into a convenience store.
The company Prablin Stores has submitted an application to sell alcohol from 7am to 11pm each day.
A statutory consultation into the application is currently live.
You can take part by emailing licensing@reading.gov.uk. The deadline for responses closes on Monday, September 14.
