A music festival’s move to Reading is in doubt, after council officers raised concerns about a shooting at the festival in 2016.

Tea Party Festival announced its move to the Thameside Promenade on Richfield Avenue in January, citing a huge demand for tickets for the 2018 event.

The festival is set to take place on June 29, but the move from Windsor Racecourse could fall through if Reading Borough Council’s (RBC) licensing committee refuse to grant a licence.

Licensing officer Richard French questioned the applicant’s ability to run a safe event, referring to a shooting that occurred at the festival when it was held at Windsor Racecourse in 2016.

A 27-year-old man was shot with a gun within the VIP area of the festival.

Mr French said: “The information we have at this current time indicates that a person was shot with a gun within the VIP area of this festival.

“This leads to concerns around the proposed security arrangements for the event here in Reading as well as concern over the nature of the event and the applicant’s ability to run a safe event.”

The officer raised numerous other concerns about the application, including fire safety, the applicant’s ability to host an event for up to 9,999 people, and whether the tents and structures for the event would be safe and competently constructed.

Structures have previously been banned at events in Reading run by the promoters of Tea Party Festival due to the potential that they would cause injury to the public.

Mr French said: “Whilst the licensing authority is not against the holding of such events in Reading – being home to a number of successful events like Reading Festival and CAMRA Beer Festival – our first responsibility is to safeguard the public and promote the four licensing objectives.”

He added that the location of stages and the type of music being played at the event would be likely to cause ‘undue disturbance to local residents’.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) officer Declan Smyth said the applicant had previously shown themselves to be reasonably good at reacting to issues after they occurred but had been ‘poor pre-emptively’.

The application also received objections from various local groups, including the North Reading Safer Neighbourhood Forum (NRSNF) and Caversham GLOBE.

NRSNF's chairman said the event ‘appears to wish to become another Reading Festival’.

Tea Party Fest LTD is seeking an annual licence to sell alcohol, provide regulated entertainment and open from 12-10PM on the last weekend of June, with a capacity of 9,999 people.

The company is seeking a licence for Saturday and Sunday but would only operate on the Saturday in 2019.

Tea Party took place at Windsor Racecourse from 2016-2018, with artists such as Example, Kurupt FM and Sigma headlining the festival.

Tea Party Fest LTD has been approached for comment.