The huge row over a proposed 21,500 seater arena in Stratford flared up again on Monday when planning chiefs recommended that the highly controversial scheme should be given the green light.
Officers at the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) said the proposals for the MSG Sphere in Stratford were acceptable despite more than 1,000 objections from local residents and a petition against it signed by more than 2,000 people.
Many are dismayed about noise and light pollution from vast LED displays on the outer skin of the structure, which would be as wide as the London Eye and almost as tall as Big Ben. The displays are said cover an area 50 times the advertising screens at Piccadilly Circus.
In their report LLDC officers said the venue “would provide an attractive visual backdrop for people living, working, enjoying recreational time, visiting and travelling through the metropolitan town centre.”
It acknowledged that the MSG proposal “is not universally popular or appreciated” , but concluded “its height, form and massing is considered an appropriate response to the design brief and context of this site.”
The recommendation is a huge boost for the US venue operator behind the proposal, the Madison Square Garden Company (MSG), which runs the 18,600-capacity Madison Square Garden venue in New York.
MSG say the venue will be “a state-of-the-art music and entertainment venue that will pioneer the next generation of immersive experiences.”
The London arena would be built on a patch of land behind Westfield Stratford shopping mall that was originally used as a coach park during the 2012 Olympics.
The final decision will now be taken by the LLDC’s planning committee on Tuesday, March 22, but Monday’s advice from officers means it is far more likely to go ahead. It comes three years after the application was originally submitted.
The proposal is bitterly opposed by US entertainment giant AEG, which runs the 02 arena in Greenwich just four miles away.
There are also concerns about possible crowd management problems if events are held on the same day as West Ham matches at the adjacent 60,000 seater London stadium although MSG has said it will seek to avoid clashes “where practicably possible”.
Newham council is also strongly against the scheme, although it plays no formal role in the decision other than having two councillors on the planning committee of the LLDC, the public body set to manage the legacy of the Olympics and Paralympics.
In a brochure sent to LLDC Newham said: “It remains Newham’s view that the luminosity of the outer skin of the sphere is likely to result in a detrimental impact to nearby sensitive receptors which include the residents (including students) that live in close proximity to the site.”
MSG said the Sphere will generate 4,300 jobs during construction, and more than 1,000 full time jobs, if given the green light. The venue was designed by Populous, the architecture firm behind Wembley Stadium.
AEG said: “There has been consistent and significant opposition to the MSG Sphere, including from local MPs, Newham Council, neighbouring boroughs Hackney and Greenwich, railway operators, Transport for London, Historic England, and hundreds of local residents.”
A spokesperson for AEG said: “We are calling on the LLDC to refuse MSG’s application for a new venue in Stratford and encourage the Mayor of London to formally oppose this project in order to protect Newham’s residents and existing businesses from this inappropriate development.”
They added: “MSG’s planning application is hopelessly inadequate and fails to address the issues arising out of its new London context and the specific constraints of the Stratford Site, breaching planning policy in several areas. The proposals would exacerbate congestion at the already over-crowded Stratford Station, and no additional train services are proposed to mitigate the impact on the Jubilee Line.”
In a statement MSG Entertainment said: “We are pleased with the LLDC planning officer’s recommendation to approve the applications for MSG Sphere, and we look forward to presenting before the Planning Decisions Committee on 22 March.”
