The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has rejected plans for the MSG arena, calling the arena a “bulky, unduly dominant and incongruous” proposed building.
Khan directed the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which acts as the planning authority for the area surrounding the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the east of the capital, to reject the 90m entertainment venue. ‘height and covered with LEDs.
In a letter to the LLDC, the mayor said the light emitted by the development would cause “significant harm” to residents, while also claiming the project was unsustainable and would harm the environment.
“The proposed development with a sphere of 90 meters high and 120 meters wide, by virtue of its scale, massing and design, would give rise to a voluminous, unduly dominant and incongruous form of urbanization, which would not respect the character and appearance of this part of the town center and the wider environment of the place,” he wrote.
“Furthermore, the proposed design concept is very energy intensive, does not achieve a high standard of sustainability and does not constitute good sustainable design.”
A spokesman for the Mayor added: “London is open to investment from around the world and Sadiq wants to see more innovative, ambitious and world-class entertainment venues in our city.
“But as part of the examination of the planning application for the MSG sphere, the mayor has seen independent evidence showing that the current proposals would have an unacceptable negative impact on local residents.”
Madison Square Garden (MSG) Entertainment, which operates New York’s Madison Square Garden arena, unveiled plans for the 21,500-seat venue in 2019. The arena would be covered with LED panels that could display moving images.
Communities Secretary Michael Gove could still call in the plan, triggering a further planning inquiry. The communities secretary would then have the final decision on the plan, although a planning inspector would give a formal recommendation.
Crossrail criticized the plans, objecting that the bright light emitted by the building would interfere with train drivers’ ability to read signals.
The LLDC approved the plans by limitation in March 2022.
The scheme was designed by architecture practice Populous, who also designed London’s Olympic Stadium.
Paul Westbury, previously Group Technical Director at Laing O’Rourke, would have supervised the project as executive vice president of development and construction for MSG Entertainment.
Former strategy director for Sir Robert McAlpine Grant Findlay He had also been involved in the project as senior vice president of sphere systems at MSG Entertainment, before returning to his previous job as executive general manager of buildings.
A sister Las Vegas venue, the Sphere at the Venetian Resort, opened to the public in September with a residency by rock group U2. It cost $2.3 billion (£1.8 billion) to build.
Aecom was initially the general contractor before MSG Entertainment brought construction in-house in 2020, with the engineering giant supporting the project through a services agreement.
Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham, the London borough where the MSG arena would have been built, said: “The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s planning decision is monumentally significant as it has put the health and well-being of residents living in Newham first.
“We have always argued that the unprecedented scale of the proposed scheme requires robust scrutiny because the intrusion of the MSG sphere into the lives of our people. [would have been] huge.”
