Stratford sphere venue plans formally withdrawn by US agency

The US firm behind a proposed Las Vegas-style “Sphere” venue in east London has withdrawn its plans.

Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) stated it couldn’t take part in a course of that was “merely a political football between rival parties”.

In December, Housing Secretary Michael Gove used his powers to overview the rejection of planning permission by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

MSG had wished to construct its 21,000-capacity Sphere venue in Stratford.

In a letter to the Planning Inspectorate, MSG stated 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”.

The letter stated: “I write to confirm that we are officially withdrawing our application from the Planning Inspectorate process.

“After spending hundreds of thousands of kilos buying our website in Stratford and collaboratively partaking in a five-year planning course of with quite a few governmental our bodies, together with the native planning authority who permitted our plans following cautious overview, we can not proceed to take part in a course of that’s merely a political soccer between rival events.”

A spokesperson for Sphere Entertainment, a sister firm to MSG, added that it was committed to working with “forward-thinking cities world wide” who were “severe” about bringing the undertaking to their communities.

MSG had planned to build its illuminated sphere venue in Stratford on a 4.7 acre (1.9 hectare) site that has sat empty since it was last used as a temporary coach park during the 2012 London Olympics.

It would have had the highest resolution LED screen on Earth, along with immersive sound systems to host concerts, shows and sporting events.

Mr Khan ruled in November that the Sphere would cause “vital gentle intrusion” to neighbours and couldn’t be constructed.

The mayor added that it could be “cumbersome” and “unduly dominant” and would not “represent good and sustainable design”.

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