Building of former Dundee club The Reading Rooms to be turned into flats
The venue closed in 2019 and now faces redevelopment
The home of former Dundee nightclub The Reading Rooms could be turned into a block of flats following recent redevelopment plans.
The famous club, which closed in 2019, was situated in a building once used as a library in Blackscroft, Dundee. Plans to redevelop the building are now underway, depending on whether the proposals are accepted.
According to Urban Realm, local developers Blackscroft Property are currently looking to build a hotel with nine rooms in the listed building, as well as a restaurant and 24 flats. The plans are looking to cost around £5 million.
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The ‘three-pronged development’ would also see the conversion of a church in an effort to expand and grow Dundee’s city centre. The main building could also be turned into a gastropub under the plans.
The Reading Rooms, also known as The Small Town Club (TSTC), closed down in 2019 after 17 years citing mounting pressure from police, who had launched an investigation into the venue months prior to the club closing.
Police documents argued that there was “blatant drug taking”, underage drinking, and overcrowding at the venue, forcing the club to limit its capacity and opening hours.
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In June 2019, The Reading Rooms announced: “As you may or may not know, the last 7 months at TSTC have been arduous to say the least. We have tried with great effort to find stability in this period, however, the challenges have been insurmountable.
“As it stands, The Reading Rooms as we know it will open and close its doors for the very last time this evening,” they said in a statement on Facebook.
Locals suggested that pressure from police might be due to redevelopments of the local area, which in 2018, saw the opening of a £1 billion V&A Museum, on top of other recent developments.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter
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