A pub has joined a list of important protected venues in Reading, celebrated for their community value.

The Rose & Thistle pub, on Argyle Road near Reading West Station, has become an asset of community value (ACV), joining 10 other sites currently on the Reading Borough Council (RBC) list.

Recent additions include The After Dark nightclub, which was granted ACV listing in December and The Hop Leaf pub gained the status in October.

READ MORE: Reading pub listed as 'community asset'

Once a building is added to the list, it must be used to further the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community for a five-year period, after which the property is removed from the list.

If the owner of an ACV building wants to sell the property, they must contact the council, who will notify the community group that nominated the asset.

The community group can then register its interest as a potential bidder, triggering a six-month period during which, with certain exceptions, the owner can only sell the asset to a community interest group.

After the six-month period, the owner can sell to whomever they choose.

An application was submitted to list The Rose & Thistle on November 28 and approved on January 4. It will remain on the list until 2026.

The west Reading Greene King pub is currently closed until further notice and its Facebook page has disappeared.

Another pub, The Castle Tap, on Castle Street, was removed from the list on December 21 as its listing has expired.

This means there are still 11 sites on the list. Here are the other 10.

The Butchers Arms, Lower Armour Road

Listed in January 2016, after an application from Reading & Mid-Berks CAMRA, this Tilehurst pub is due to leave the list soon – on January 25, 2021.

It describes itself on Facebook as “a great local pub with fantastic entertainment and a friendly atmosphere”.

The Nags Head, Russell Street

This CAMRA award-winning real ale pub near the town centre was listed in February 2016 after an application from a group calling itself The Nags Head Cavalry.

The future of the pub was uncertain in 2015, with the local branch of CAMRA playing a key role in ensuring it remained open.

In 2019, CAMRA named it one of the 16 best pubs in Britain. The Nag’s Head is due to leave the list on February 8, 2021.

The Madejski Stadium and surrounding land

The home of Reading FC was added to the list in April 2016 and is due to leave the list in April 2021.

The listing says the stadium” serves as a focus for community pride, helps build a sense of community identity, promotes the enjoyment of sport and exercise to local people and is fully inclusive”.

Mapledurham Pavilion & Car Park

The pavilion and car park were added in June 2016, after an application from the Warren and District Residents Association and are due to leave the list in June 2021.

The Mapledurham Playing Fields has been surrounded by controversy after RBC gave planning permission for a new school to be built on part of the land.

Plans have been approved to revamp the pavilion.

READ MORE: Find out what’s changing at the Mapledurham Playing Fields pavilion

The Spread Eagle, Norfolk Road

Another Tilehurst pub, this venue was listed in October 2016 and is due to leave the list next October.

It was recently taken over by a new owner and refurbished during the pandemic and now serves Indian food as well as the usual pub grub.

Arthur Hill, Kings Road

The Arthur Hill swimming pool shows the limited protection that ACV listing offers.

It was listed as a community asset but have since gone through selling process and will become housing, under plans from the council.

The east Reading pool, which closed in 2016, is set to become key worker housing and its protection ended in March 2019.

The Central Club mural and north wall, London Street

A former community centre in Reading, the north wall and mural were listed in December 2017 after an application from Afro-Carribean community group Aspire.

RBC rejected an application to list the whole building in August 2017 as it had not been in active community use for 11 years.

Then, in February 2018, the council gave notice of its intention to sell the building and started the six-month moratorium period in August 2018.

The council agreed to sell the building to housing developer Redline after going through the ACV process, with Aspire’s bid failing, and the building’s protection expiring in February 2019.

The council is now finalising a new agreement with Redline, having accepted what is believed to be a reduced offer for the former Central Club, due to the impact of the pandemic.

Some community space will remain, with theatre group RABBLE taking over the ground floor space, and the mural will be protected.

Forester Arms, Brunswick Street

After an almost two-year gap with no listings, the Foresters Arms pub was added to the list in August 2019.

The pub, described as a “community run home-from-home pub”, closed for a month in January for refurbishment after a new landlord took over in 2019.

The Hop Leaf, Southampton Street

The latest pub to be added to the list, The Hop Leaf joined the club in October after a campaign from The Friends of the Hop Leaf to protect the community pub.

More than 600 people signed a petition calling for the pub to be protected.

The After Dark, London Street

The most recent building added to the list, The After Dark was listed on December 11.

The owners have three times tried to turn the legendary club into flats, including as recently as June, while the council revoked its licence last year due to a noise complaint and a fight.

READ MORE: After Dark nightclub loses licence as court upholds Reading Council decision

The decision to remove the venue’s licence was appealed by manager Zee Khan, but this was rejected at a magistrates’ hearing earlier this month.