A controversial music venue in east London has taken a major step closer to being built after planning chiefs approved the scheme despite long-running opposition from locals.
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), set up by the Mayor of London in 2012 to oversee the development of the Olympic Park site, approved plans for the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Sphere at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday evening.
The scheme, which still has to be approved by the mayor, is the brainchild of the MSG Company, the operator behind the world-famous arena in New York, which says it will be “a state-of-the-art music and entertainment venue that will pioneer the next generation of immersive experiences.”
Its supporters, which include the University of east London, say it will bring jobs to the area both in construction of the building and when the venue is up and running.
Paul Westbury from MSG said the application had gone through a “thorough assessment” and the “state of the art venue” would help make Stratford “a global destination for music and technology”.
He said it would boost London’s economy by £2.5 billion and said the plans had been “informed by” feedback from residents.
The sphere is set to feature huge LED advertising displays around the entire structure, which locals say will “blight the area” with noise and light pollution.
A statement from West Ham MP Lyn Brown, opposing scheme, described it as a “monstrosity” and raised fears about added pressure on local transport and in particular the station at Stratford which already copes with travellers to the Westfield shopping centre and West Ham’s 60,000-seater stadium.
In her statement, which was read by a local councillor on her behalf, she said: “The last thing we need is another venue disgorging its audience into an already overcrowded transport hub.”
More than 1,000 local residents formally objected to the planning application, while a petition calling for the project to be scrapped received more than 2,000 signatures.
US entertainment giant AEG, which owns the O2 Arena in Greenwich just four miles away, also expressed opposition to the MSG Sphere.
