The London mayor’s decision to reject planning permission for a huge Las Vegas-style entertainment venue is to be reviewed by ministers.
The housing secretary, Michael Gove, has opted to use his powers to “call in” Sadiq Khan’s rejection of the 21,000-capacity, 300ft-tall MSG sphere in Stratford, east London, to decide whether it should stand.
The associated application for advertisement consent will also be decided upon by ministers in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Gove, it has been announced in a letter to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), has also ruled that there will be a local inquiry held regarding the planning application.
The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) wanted to build its sphere venue in Stratford, with plans to illuminate it on the outside and for it to have the world’s highest resolution LED screen, along with immersive sound systems to host concerts, shows and sporting events.
But Khan ruled last month, in response to a planning application from New York-based MSG, that the sphere would not be allowed to be built.
The Labour mayor said the venue would cause “significant light intrusion resulting in significant harm to the outlook of neighbouring properties, detriment to human health, and significant harm to the general amenity enjoyed by residents of their own homes”.
The mayor went on to say it would be “bulky” and “unduly dominant” and would not “constitute good and sustainable design”.
Gove’s department confirmed that the mayor’s rejection had now been called in, in a letter dated 1 December, with the action being taken by the planning minister, Lee Rowley, on behalf of the housing secretary.
Officials in the levelling up department said it would not be appropriate to comment on the proposal as the application was due for a ministerial decision in the future.
Sphere Entertainment, a sister company to MSG, suggested it no longer had any interest in building a venue in London despite Gove’s intervention.
A spokesperson for the company said: “The entire five-year planning process was hijacked by the mayor and his bogus last-minute report.
“Londoners should be dismayed that they are not going to benefit from this groundbreaking project, and others looking to invest in London should certainly be wary.”
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She added: “Mr Gove’s action, although commendable, still appears to us to be more of the same, and we cannot continue to participate in a process that can be so easily undermined by political winds.
“As we said previously, we will focus on the many forward-thinking cities.”
The 2-hectare (4.7-acre) site was bought by MSG having been left empty since it was last used as a temporary coach park during the 2012 London Olympics.
MSG said thousands of jobs would have been created if the venue, modelled on a similar building in Las Vegas in the US, had been approved.
A spokesperson for Khan said: “London is open to investment from around the world and Sadiq wants to see more world-class, ambitious, innovative entertainment venues in our city.
“As part of looking at the planning application for the MSG Sphere, the mayor has seen independent evidence that shows the current proposals would result in an unacceptable negative impact on local residents.”
