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Plans for 300ft replica of enormous Las Vegas sphere could be BACK
Plans for 300ft replica of enormous Las Vegas sphere could be BACK


Sphere we go again? Controversial London plan to build 300ft replica of enormous Las Vegas venue could be BACK as government mulls calling it in after Sadiq Khan blocked huge build Do you live near the planned sphere? Contact: Dan.Grennan@mailonline.com The controversial plans to build a 300ft replica of the enormous Las Vegas sphere in east London could be back on after the Government mulls over the proposal which infuriated locals. The reported £800 million development was given the green light by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) back in March before Mayor of London Sadiq Khan blocked it on grounds of light pollution – which delighted local campaigners. However, Secretary for State for Leveling Up delayed Mr Khan’s direction for six weeks so Ministers can consider whether to call in the application for the music venue – which one local campaigner called ‘beyond mad’. The shere’s eye-opening selling point of the 21,500-capacity venue, whish is proposed beside Olympic Park in Stratford, is the thousands of LED screens that cover the outside of the building, which can display moving images. Mr Gove Department’s letter to the LLDC, which ordered them not to deny the planning application, read: ‘The Secretary of State hereby prohibits Your Local Planning Authority from implementing the Mayor’s direction of November 20 to refuse permission. Pictured: An artist’s impression showing people walking into the proposed London venue as it’s lit up to display an image of stars and the night sky Developers claimed the arena would create over 1,000 new jobs and bring £50million a year into local businesses. Pictured: An artist’s impression of what the site would look like during the day with no lights on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has blocked the controversial sphere development but Michael Gove has delayed the direction so Ministers can consider the plans ‘The direction is issued to enable him to consider whether he should direct under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act that the application should be referred to him for determination.’ Green Councillor for Stratford Olympic Park and campaigner against the sphere, Nate Higgins, told MailOnline the sphere will ‘inflict misery on people’s lives’ if it is built. He said: ‘We’ve all seen the MSG Sphere for what it is – a massive advertising billboard masquerading as an entertainment venue that would have inflicted misery on people’s lives, including blackout blinds and incredible disruption at Stratford station. ‘Sadiq Khan was right to reject the application on solid planning grounds. These are the reasons the LLDC should have rejected this Sphere in the first place. ‘MSG have already said they’re moving on and are selling the land, which Greens have now called to be used for social housing. The music venue will contain a 21,500-capacity arena, as well as bars and restaurants, and the project has been hailed as a ‘pioneer in the next generation of immersive experiences’ James Dolan has said he wants to built more spheres around the world. Pictured: The crowd look on at a kaleidoscopic image during the U2 concert in Las Vegas last week U2 performed at the Las Vegas MSG Sphere last week, with Bono calling the inventor a ‘mad b******’. Pictured: The band perform in front of a giant screen showing a view of the desert ‘Even they don’t want this to go on further, inflicting yet more heartache on residents who have lived with the uncertainty for half a decade, and costing yet more public money. ‘For Gove to call in the application now would be an assault on democracy and I’m certain the planning inspector would only reach the same conclusions Sadiq Khan and every local representative already has.’ MailOnline has contacted the Mayor of London for comment. It would not be appropriate for Ministers in the Department for Levelling Up to comment given their role in the planning system. Campaign group Stop MSG Sphere called on Mr Gove to ‘not put party politics above the health and wellbeing of residents’. A spokesperson said: ‘We urge Michael Gove not to put party politics above the health and wellbeing of residents. The MSG Sphere does not comply with the London Plan and would cause significant harm to residents and the environment, while doing little for levelling up in East London. The proposed Sphere is proposed on what is currently an empty car park, next to the Westfield shopping centre Pictured: An artist’s impression of what the sphere could look like with an image of a singer displayed on the outside The venue would be built on an empty patch of land next to the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford. Pictured: An aerial view of the planned site ‘MSG aim to provide a maximum of just 175 FTE jobs for residents during construction and 543 once operational, split across all five LLDC boroughs. ‘Local residents have endured nearly six years of stress and uncertainty over the possibility this deeply damaging development would be built right next to their homes, they now need to be left in peace. We implore the Secretary of State not to call in the application.’ An LLDC spokesperson said: ‘We have received notification that Secretary of State has prohibited the LLDC (for a period of 42 days from 27 November) from implementing the Mayor of London’s direction of 20 November to refuse permission for the MSG Sphere planning application. ‘The direction from the Secretary of State has been issued to enable him to consider whether the application should be referred to him for determination.’ Residents complained about the potential light pollution coming from the venue. Pictured: An artist’s impression of the sphere lit up with an image of the globe Rock band U2 perform at the inaugural residence at the huge spherical concert venue MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. September 29, 2023 After London’s Mayor blocked the plans, MSG’s chief executive James Dolan said it was the ‘end of the line’ for the development and asked, ‘why doesn’t London want the best show on earth?. The controversy surrounding the London Sphere could hardly be more vociferous. But in Vegas there had been nothing but adulation. Creator Dolan had toyed with the idea of a muffin shape, a box and even a pyramid before settling on the 366ft Sphere. Construction began in September 2018. Wrapping the LED panels — heat and wind-proof to cope with the desert climate — around 32 steel trusses (each weighing 100 tons) was never going to be straightforward, and the pandemic led not just to a two-year delay to its planned 2021 opening but a doubling of the estimated build cost of $1.2 billion (£1 billion). Finally, however, in July this year, the external screens were turned on, treating startled residents to the sight of what appeared to be a giant eyeball bulging next to the famed Vegas strip. The arena would come with shops and restaurants. Pictured: An artist’s impression of people walking around the outside of the venue The sphere caused a lot of anger and frustration among local residents. Pictured: An artist’s impression of what the sphere would look like from the air, with the Westfield shopping centre to the right and West Ham’s Olympic stadium to the far right The Sphere’s dazzling external displays have also provoked one serious unintended side-effect — a rise in car accidents, as awestruck drivers slow down to take a better look. According to The Las Vegas Review Journal, there were 27 crashes in the four-week period after the Sphere was first illuminated, compared with 37 in the two previous months. Las Vegas locals had words of warning for the people of Stratford, as they compared the light given off by their arena to a ‘sun on Earth’ And after seeing the lights atop the nearly 365ft-high sphere from nearly two miles away resident Billy Cline, 36, said: ‘It’s almost like building a sun on Earth.’ Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Mick Akers said that while in his city, residents are ‘already used to it [bright lights]’, construction in a residential area (such as Stratford) could cause problems at night. Do you live near the planned sphere? Contact: Dan.Grennan@mailonline.com The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

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