Vail Williams - Retail Development - Reading, Blakes Lock

Date: 08 Feb 2001

Expanding pub and restaurant chain Bel & Dragon (Cookham) Ltd is to give Reading’s Blakes Lock Museum a commercial face-lift after agreeing to purchase the long leasehold from Reading Borough Council.

Bel & Dragon intends to convert the 278 sq m (3,000 sq ft) Victorian Gallery, on Gas Works Road adjacent to the River Kennet, into a vibrant waterfront pub/restaurant.

The development, which is subject to planning consent, will also include six new office workshops comprising 557 sq m (6,000 sq ft), as well as retaining some museum artefacts in the Screen Room and Turbine House.

Peter Spelman, associate partner at Vail Williams who advised Reading Borough Council on the deal comments: “Reading Borough Council is a leading edge local authority with a track record for innovative ideas and Bel & Dragon’s dynamic concept of a unique riverside facility went hand in hand with the council’s vision for the museum.”

Ian Glyn, director of Bel & Dragon, is delighted to have secured this site in Reading. “Although Reading offers tremendous leisure opportunities, Blakes Lock offers everything that we need for a successful outlet,” he adds.

Bel & Dragon has outlets in Cookham, Windsor and Godalming.

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