Developers withdraw plans for London Sphere

nme.com:

UK government called for plans for the Vegas-style Sphere venue to be created in London to be revived, after they had been scrapped by the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan.The original plans, first announced in 2018, would have seen a 21,500-capacity venue built, becoming the largest concert arena in the UK.The proposed venue had raised concerns from some of those living in the surrounding area, who highlighted the strains on local infrastructure and health risks.

The London Assembly Environment Committee also warned of the unacceptable light levels that would be created by the venue – with the finished product set to have an estimated 1million LED light bulbs on its exterior.Following Khan’s intervention, the UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove ordered a six-week pause, to allow time for the government to re-consider the Mayor’s decision.But, Sphere Entertainment, a sister firm to MSG, said it has now written to Gove advising him of the company’s plan to withdraw its application.In a statement, the company said: “We have informed Mr.

Gove that our decision not to move forward with our plans for Sphere in London stands, and we will not be participating in the call-in process.

We would like to thank all of those who worked earnestly to bring this project to London.“We are committed to continuing to work collaboratively with forward-thinking cities around the world who are serious about bringing this next-generation entertainment experience to their communities.”The news comes after it was reported in November that Las Vegas’ Sphere, which is housing a residency by U2, had made a loss of $98.4million (£80.5million) since opening on September 29.The group who manage the MSG Sphere venues.