Sadiq Khan rejects plans for Las Vegas style Sphere in London

nme.com:

First announced back in 2018, the 21,500-capacity venue was the brainchild of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp (MSG), the team behind the iconic New York venue of the same name, and would have been the largest concert arena in the UK.The plans for the venue – which would have been the city’s equivalent to the MSG Las Vegas Sphere – arose when the company submitted a planning application to the London Legacy Development Corporation, requesting to transform a site in Stratford.It was set to sit on a 1.9-hectare (4.7-acre) site in Stratford that was purchased by MSG.

The land, which is adjacent to both the Olympic Park and the Westfield shopping centre, was used as a coach park during the 2012 London Olympics.Futuristic mock-up images of the venue were published in 2019, and the company then shared further details about the new space in September the following year – including the news that Network Rail had withdrawn its initial objection to the construction of the arena.Plans to build a smaller 1,500-capacity venue inside the orb-like arena that could provide a platform for grassroots artists were also documented by the MSG, as well as shops and restaurants.Now, however, it has been reported that Mayor Sadiq Khan has rejected plans to construct the venue due to the negative impact it would have on the Stratford residents.“London is open to investment from around the world and Sadiq wants to see more world-class, ambitious, innovative entertainment venues in our city,” read a statement from a spokesperson for Khan.“But as part of looking at the planning application for the MSG Sphere, the Mayor has seen independent evidence that shows the current proposals would result in an unacceptable negative impact on local.