MSG Sphere London

{{short description|Proposed music and entertainment venue in London, England}}

{{Infobox venue

|name=MSG Sphere London

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|address= London, England

|location= Stratford

|coordinates= {{coord|51.543973|-0.0018678|region:GB_scale:5000_type:city_source:Wikimapia|display=inline,title}}

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|owner=Madison Square Garden Entertainment

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|architect= Populous

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|capacity= 21,500

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|website={{URL|london.msg.com/}}

|publictransit= {{rint|london|underground}} {{rint|london|dlr}} {{rint|london|overground}} {{rint|london|crossrail}} {{rint|london|rail}} Stratford station
{{rint|london|dlr}} {{rint|london|rail}} Stratford International station
{{rint|london|crossrail}} Maryland station
{{rint|london|bus}} Stratford City bus station
{{rint|london|bus}} Stratford bus station

}}

The MSG Sphere London was a proposed music and entertainment venue to be built in the Stratford area of East London, England. Initially proposed by the United States–based Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) in 2018, and subjected to a protracted planning process, the plans were officially withdrawn by MSG in January 2024.

Proposals

The MSG Sphere London was a building project of United States–based The Madison Square Garden Company, and financed by former Cablevision owner Charles Dolan and his son, James L. Dolan.{{cite web |last1=Owusu |first1=Tony |title=Madison Square Garden to Split Sports, Entertainment: Could the Knicks Be Sold? |url=https://www.thestreet.com/investing/stocks/james-dolan-msg-announce-spinoff-of-knicks-rangers-15160028 |website=TheStreet |access-date=12 November 2021 |location=New York, NY |language=en-us |date=8 November 2019 }} Had it been approved, it would have been identical to the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, which is also backed by James Dolan, and was completed in 2023.{{cite magazine |last1=Dannen |first1=Fredric |title=How James Dolan's Passion For Music Is Driving MSG's High-Risk Plan To Reshape The Arena Business |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9443989/how-james-dolans-passion-for-music-is-driving-msgs-high-risk-plan-to-reshape-the-arena-business |magazine=Billboard |access-date=11 November 2021 |language=en |date=2020}} Both buildings have been designed by the architectural firm Populous.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2018/02/14/populous-build-spherical-music-venue-las-vegas-usa-london-uk-msg-sphere-london|title=Populous to build spherical music venues in Vegas and London|date=2018-02-14|work=Dezeen|access-date=2018-10-10|language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=MSG Sphere London |url=https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/msg-sphere-london_o |website=www.architectmagazine.com |publisher=American Architects Association |access-date=12 November 2021 |date=11 April 2018}}

The MSG Sphere would have been equipped with a 19,000 x 13,500 pixel resolution LED screen spread across the interior of the venue. All 17,500 seats would have high speed internet access and the sound system uses a technology called beam forming to provide targeted, spatialized sound that is consistent in volume and quality across all seats. Haptic technology capabilities would be delivered through the floorboards. The exterior of the venue would feature 54,000 square metres of programmable lighting.{{cite web |title=London Plans to Build Sphere Venue |url=https://edmworldmagazine.com/london-plans-to-build-sphere-venue/ |website=EDM World Magazine♫♥ |access-date=12 November 2021 |date=10 May 2018}} A 3,000 person club venue was also under consideration.

Planning process

The venue's proposed location was in Stratford near Westfield Stratford City, the East Village housing development, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, on a site used as a coach park during the 2012 Summer Olympics. The sphere-shaped venue was designed to have the world's largest LED screen and have a seating capacity of 17,500.{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-planned-msg-sphere-london-a3897671.html|title=All you need to know about the planned MSG Sphere London|website=London Evening Standard|date=30 July 2018 |accessdate=2018-10-20}} It was not designed for use as a sporting arena, but primarily for music, as well as award ceremonies, corporate events, and product launches.

According to the official MSG website, public comments were reviewed at the end of 2018 and a poll of local residents was conducted by Deltapoll in July 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.msglondon.com/|title=MSG London|website=MSG London Consultation|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-01-16}}{{cite web |title=MSG London – Newham Polling |url=https://london.msg.com/newhampolling/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803144018/https://london.msg.com/newhampolling/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 August 2020 |website=MSG LONDON |access-date=12 November 2021}}

On 5 June 2019, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the planning authority for the site, held a consultation with the public, during which residents emphasised their need for greater transparency regarding the project.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/newham-residents-voice-concerns-over-msg-sphere-1-6092498|title=Calls for transparency at public meeting on MSG Sphere|website=www.newhamrecorder.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-06-06}} MSG's most recent document submission to the LLDC was filed in August 2020 in relation to the Regulation 25 rules of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017; all documents were available for review by the public.{{cite web |title=MSG London – Our Plans |url=https://london.msg.com/our-plans/ |website=MSG LONDON |access-date=12 November 2021}}

The project gained planning approval on 22 March 2022 from the LLDC. The next steps comprised a review by the Mayor of London and a legal planning agreement. If those steps resulted in approval, construction could have begun.{{cite news |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/what-is-stratfords-msg-sphere-and-when-will-it-open-032322 |title=What is Stratford's MSG Sphere and when will it open? |first=Chiara |last=Wilkinson |work=Time Out |date=23 March 2022 |access-date=26 March 2022 }}

= Opposition =

Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which operates the O2 Arena in south-east London, inquired about the Sphere's proximity to existing entertainment venues such as the London Stadium, the Copper Box Arena, and its own O2 Arena,{{Cite web |date=2018-03-19 |title=AEG on MSG London launch: 'Question mark' over location |url=https://www.iq-mag.net/2018/03/aeg-msg-sphere-london-launch-question-mark-location/ |access-date=2019-01-16 |website=IQ Magazine |language=en-GB}} emphasising that "it is imperative that MSG's proposals do not add to congestion in the area".{{Cite web |date=2018-07-30 |title=AEG responds to MSG's plans for new London arena |url=https://www.musicweek.com/live/read/aeg-responds-to-msg-s-plans-for-new-london-arena/071835 |access-date=2019-01-16 |website=www.musicweek.com |language=en}} AEG was found to be astroturfing a campaign against the sphere, creating a lobby group called "Newham Action Group", and were criticised for "subverting democracy" by MSG.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-24 |title=London music venue condemns 'shady' lobbying campaign |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1591290/london-music-venue-condemns-shady-lobbying-campaign-subverts-democracy |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=www.prweek.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2019-06-24 |title=MSG and AEG clash over London Sphere project |url=https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2019/06/25/msg-aeg-clash-london-sphere-project/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=www.thestadiumbusiness.com |language=en}}

Others highlighted that there is a shortage of affordable housing in the surrounding London Borough of Newham, which has more than 25,000 households on its waiting list. They claimed that up to 1,400 homes could be built in place of the planned venue,{{Cite news |title=The Golf Ball: the next addition to London's skyline? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jan/24/the-golf-ball-the-next-addition-to-londons-skyline |access-date=2019-01-16 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=24 January 2018 |language=en-GB |last1=Booth |first1=Robert }} and noted that plans for a "snow dome" ski centre in the same location, backed by former London mayor Boris Johnson, were scrapped in 2016.{{Cite web |date=2018-03-21 |title=A giant glass orb is being planned for London's Olympic Park |url=https://www.verdict.co.uk/msg-sphere-london-olympic-park/ |access-date=2019-01-16 |website=Verdict |language=en-GB}} In January 2019, a group of local residents set up a website describing the reasons for their opposition to the Sphere project.{{Cite web |title=Stop MSG Sphere |url=http://stopmsgspherelondon.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510213707/http://stopmsgspherelondon.co.uk/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=10 May 2019 |access-date=2019-01-16 |website=stopmsgspherelondon.co.uk |language=en-GB}} On 14 June 2019, nearby Hackney Council opposed plans by MSG to display giant illuminated advertisements on the dome of the sphere,{{Cite web |date=2019-06-14 |title=Hackney Council opposes plans for giant digital ads on Madison Square Garden's proposed Stratford venue |url=https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/22933642.hackney-council-opposes-plans-giant-digital-ads-madison-square-gardens-proposed-stratford-venue/ |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Hackney Gazette |language=en}} but on 27 January 2023, the LLDC approved the use of advertising on the dome.{{Cite web |last=Lowe2023-01-27T07:00:00+00:00 |first=Tom |title=Sphere music venue step closer after passing key planning hurdle |url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/sphere-music-venue-step-closer-after-passing-key-planning-hurdle/5121501.article |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Building |language=en}}

= Planning permission rejection =

In February 2023, the scheme was put on temporary hold by Michael Gove, Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), using powers that potentially allow for a public planning inquiry into the project.{{cite news |last1=Gayne |first1=Daniel |title=Gove steps in and puts controversial Sphere music venue plan on ice |url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/gove-steps-in-and-puts-controversial-sphere-music-venue-plan-on-ice/5121889.article |access-date=22 February 2023 |work=Building |date=22 February 2023}} Then, in November 2023, the sphere's planning permission was rejected by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, primarily over concerns about potential light pollution.{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/sadiq-khan-rejects-plans-for-las-vegas-style-sphere-in-london-3544463|title=Sadiq Khan rejects plans for Las Vegas style Sphere in London|last=Liberty|first=Dunworth|date=20 November 2023|work=NME|accessdate=21 November 2023}}

MSG said they would seek other cities that might bring the technology to their communities.{{cite news |last1=Booth |first1=Robert |title=Stays in Vegas: London mayor rejects plan for Stratford Sphere venue |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/20/stays-in-vegas-khan-rejects-application-for-stratford-sphere-venue |access-date=20 November 2023 |work=Guardian |date=20 November 2023}} Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen wrote to James Dolan, offering Teesside as an alternative venue for the Sphere.{{cite news|url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/viva-las-teesside-ben-houchens-28142095|title='Viva Las Teesside': Ben Houchen's proposal for version of Sphere and 'bit of Las Vegas'|last=Corrigan|first=Naomi|date=20 November 2023|work=TeessideLive|accessdate=21 November 2023}}

In December 2023, Gove used his powers to "call in" Khan's rejection of the project, overturning the Mayor's rejection and turning the final decision to DLUHC ministers.{{cite news |title=London mayor's decision to reject Las Vegas-style sphere to be reviewed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/02/london-mayors-decision-to-reject-las-vegas-style-sphere-to-be-reviewed |work=The Guardian |date=2 December 2023 |access-date=2 December 2023 |last1=Media |first1=P. A. }} However, in January 2024, MSG wrote to the Planning Inspectorate officially withdrawing its plans for the project.{{cite news |title=Developer of Las Vegas-style Sphere in east London withdraws plans |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/09/developer-las-vegas-style-sphere-east-london-withdraws-plans |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=Guardian |agency=PA Media |date=9 January 2024}}

It was later announced that a second Sphere would be built in Abu Dhabi instead.[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/new-sphere-built-in-abu-dhabi-1236032333/ Another Sphere Is Being Built, This Time In Abu Dhabi]