The razzmatazz of Vegas did not sit well in London, which is why the US company Madison Square Garden Entertainment has withdrawn its proposal for the Populous-designed MSG Sphere London. Dubbing this larger-than-life sphere a political football, MSG stated it could no longer participate in developing the music venue on a site in Stratford near the Olympic Park in East London. ‘I write to confirm that we are officially withdrawing our application from the Planning Inspectorate process,’ the letter read, as reported by the BBC
‘After spending millions of pounds acquiring our site in Stratford and collaboratively engaging in a five-year planning process with numerous governmental bodies, including the local planning authority who approved our plans following careful review, we cannot continue to participate in a process that is merely a political football between rival parties.’ The 21,000-capacity, 300-foot-tall structure in Stratford will not become a reality, and the dream of creating thousands of well-paying jobs has also gone out the window. Housing Secretary Michael Gove dubbed living near the towering sphere unacceptable for residents of Stratford.
Mr. Khan told BBC London, ‘I saw the consequences to those residents if this globe was to be built, the impacts on them in relation to light, the impact in relation to their amenities and on planning grounds; I said no. But I welcome music venues in London.’ Sphere Entertainment told Dezeen, ‘The entire five-year planning process was hijacked by the mayor and his bogus last-minute report.’
The company has since told Dezeen it will now turn its focus to ‘forward-thinking cities around the world.’ ‘We would like to thank all of those who worked earnestly to bring this project to London,’ said Sphere Entertainment. ‘We are committed to continuing to work collaboratively with forward-thinking cities around the world who are serious about bringing this next-generation entertainment experience to their communities.”
