Developers withdraw plans for London Sphere
Developers of the London Sphere have withdrawn their plans, saying it could not continue to participate in a process that was “merely a political football between rival parties”.
In a letter to the Planning Inspectorate, Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) said it was “extremely disappointing” that Londoners would “not benefit from the Sphere’s groundbreaking technology and the thousands of well-paying jobs it would have created”.
It added: “On behalf of both Stratford Garden Development Limited and Sphere Entertainment, I write to confirm that we are officially withdrawing our application from the Planning Inspectorate process.
“After spending millions of pounds acquiring our site in Stratford and collaboratively engaging in a five-year planning process with numerous governmental bodies, including the local planning authority who approved our plans following careful review, we cannot continue to participate in a process that is merely a political football between rival parties.”
Last month, the 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 have also previously said that they are in “serious talks” about opening a new site in the United Arab Emirates.
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Damian Jones
NME
