Furious American group ditches new Sphere venue plan in London

Madison Square Garden says its plans for an entertainment complex near the Olympic Park had descended into a turf war between the mayor and the government
James Hurley
The Times
The Las Vegas sphere, opened last year, will not now be coming to London — due, claims its owner, to nothing but politics
The Las Vegas sphere, opened last year, will not now be coming to London — due, claims its owner, to nothing but politics
SPLASH
James Hurley
The Times

The American entertainment group that was backing a 21,500-capacity Sphere venue in east London has pulled the plug on the project after claiming it had become a “political football” between the government and the mayor of London.

Sphere Entertainment has withdrawn its planning application for the “glowing orb” near the Olympic Park in Stratford, saying that the process had descended into a turf war between Sadiq Khan and Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary.

The planned 300ft-high structure, similar to one that was opened in Las Vegas last year, was intended to be an entertainment, sports and concert venue with advanced and “immersive” sound and light technology, including the world’s largest and highest-resolution LED screen.

In November, Khan ruled that the venue “would result in an