A BRAWL and an alleged unlicenced boxing event could see a water park lose its license – one of a number of options that Wokingham councillors will consider this week.
Lagoona Park in Pingewood is in Wokingham Borough Council’s boundaries and is an outdoor inflatable water park with a bar, grill and events space.
Councillors are due to review its operations after a licensing officer reported on a fight involving between 20 and 30, in which one person suffered a severe cut to the face. The alleged incident took place in February during a charity boxing event which its owners didn’t have permission to hold.
The report notes there did “not appear to be adequate security provisions in place”.
A police report said the owner couldn’t say how many people attended the event, although “a separate caller estimated 500-600 people”.
The brawl followed previous incidents in recent months.
A council licensing officer said the site’s owner, Andy McLeod-Ross, told him to “f- off” during a visit on November 25 last year, and that McLeod’s son James was “restraining his father”.
Mr Harding was inspecting the venue during a fanzone event for an England match in the 2022 World Cup. He says McLeod claimed the visit – Harding’s second that day –meant “something untoward was happening”, as there had also been three visits from police.
The officer reports 10 children under the age of 18 were spotted at the fan event, despite Lagoona Park’s license prohibiting minors, and that McLeod saying they wouldn’t be admitted.
In a separate incident, a police report says a fight broke out at a work Christmas party held at the venue on December 17 last year, which ended with one person being kicked in the head.
The McLeods had already agreed to file an application to change the conditions of their license following the World Cup event. The draft application was rejected in January over a lack of detail.
Following concerns, Wokingham Borough Council’s Licensing and Appeals Hearings Sub Committee is set to review Lagoona Park’s license at a meeting on Wednesday, May 10.
Options include changing the conditions of the license, excluding an activity from the license, suspending the license for up to three months, or revoking the license. They can also remove the premises’ designated supervisor, or issue a formal warning.
Thames Valley Police is recommending that the council prosecutes the venue for holding an unlicensed event, replace the premises’ supervisor, and suspend its license until owners have met the request for a variation application, which is then accepted.
These would not appear to stop water activities at Lagoona Park, which reopened for the summer on Saturday.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted Lagoona Park for comment.
