Reading nightclub has its licence suspended

A Reading nightclub will have to temporarily close down after cocaine was discovered at the venue.

The Gun Street Garden has been entertaining revellers in the town centre since 2019 with two rooms and decks, a rooftop bar, and a smoking area.

But the popular venue is in trouble with Thames Valley Police (TVP) and Reading Borough Council licensing officers after cocaine was found in the gents’ and ladies’ toilets.

Furthermore, TVP licensing officer Declany Smyth also stated that officers had been called to ‘alarming number of incidents’ at the venue.

Police evidence, in a public report to the council, stated officers had attended over 40 alleged incidents at Gun Street Garden including minor and major assaults, disorder, and underage drinking.

That led PC Smyth to call on the local authority for the premise licence to be reviewed.

The review was heard at a Reading Borough Council licensing applications sub-committee meeting on February 15, in private as police evidence contained information about an ongoing investigations.

However, publicly available documents show cocaine and the opiate oxycodone had been found previously in both the men’s and women’s toilets.

The report describes how the discovery was made after police officers swabbed cubicles and sink areas in the toilets on Friday, December 22.

However, in their public submissions, a representative of the club stated the police had incorrectly listed their experience with the venue as ‘negative’ and that staff act in an ‘excellent’ and ‘incredibly professional’ manner.

They also argued that not all of the 40 incidents recorded by the police were directly related to the venue, but other locations in Gun Street.

Furthermore, the representative noted that the venue had only one ‘performance review’ with police and council licensing officers on January 23, 2020.

While officers have conducted a series of follow-up inspections at the premises, the owners were emailed by a council officer on June 30, 2022, stating that they were ‘pleased that most of the issues’ raised at an inspection that month had been rectified.

The representative added that there has been ‘no contact of any note’ between council and police licensing officers and the Gun Street Garden since July 2022.

It was also noted that Gun Street Garden conducts a Challenge 25 age verification policy.

Councillors considered the evidence from both parties and assessed whether to revoke the venue’s licence, prompting changes or a potential closure.

Ultimately, Reading Borough councillors chose to suspend the licence for two months. Licensable activities include areas such alcohol sales and playing music into the early hours, prompting councillors to believe the venue will have to close temporarily during the two-month suspension period.

The operators of Gun Street Garden declined to comment on the suspension and a possible temporary closure. However, as part of the review agreed to conduct staff training, introduce a new operations manual, and introduce additional operating measures to address the concerns raised.