MSG Sphere London

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MSG Sphere London
AddressLondon, England, UK
LocationStratford
Coordinates51°32′38″N 0°00′07″W / 51.543973°N 0.0018678°W / 51.543973; -0.0018678Coordinates: 51°32′38″N 0°00′07″W / 51.543973°N 0.0018678°W / 51.543973; -0.0018678
Public transitLondon Underground Docklands Light Railway London Overground Crossrail National Rail Stratford station
Docklands Light Railway National Rail Stratford International station
Crossrail Maryland station
London Buses Stratford City bus station
London Buses Stratford bus station
OwnerMadison Square Garden Entertainment
Capacity21,500
Construction
ArchitectPopulous
Website
london.msg.com

The MSG Sphere London is a proposed music and entertainment venue to be built in the Stratford area of London, England.[1]

History[]

The MSG Sphere London is a building project of United States-based The Madison Square Garden Company, and financed by former Cablevision owner Charles Dolan and his son, James L. Dolan.[2] If approved, it will be identical to the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, which is also backed by James Dolan, with an expected completion date in 2023.[3] Both buildings have been designed by the architectural firm Populous.[4]

Proposed features[]

The MSG Sphere would be equipped with a 19,000 x 13,500 pixel resolution LED screen which will spread across the interior of the venue. All 17,500 seats will have high speed internet access and the sound system uses a technology called beam forming to provide targeted, spatialized sound that is consistent in volume and quality across all seats. Haptic technology capabilities will be delivered through the floorboards. The exterior of the venue will feature 54,000 square meters of programmable lighting.[5] A 3,000 person club venue is under consideration as well.

Status[]

The venue is proposed to be located in Stratford near Westfield Stratford City, the East Village housing development, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, built on a site used as a coach park during the 2012 Summer Olympics. The sphere-shaped venue will be designed to have the world's largest LED screen and will have a seating capacity of 17,500.[6] It is not designed for use as a sporting arena, but primarily for music, as well as award ceremonies, corporate events, and product launches.[2][3]

According to the official MSG website, public comments were reviewed at the end of 2018 and a poll of local residents was conducted by Deltapoll in July 2019.[7][8]

On 5 June 2019, London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the planning authority for the site, held a consultation with the public, during which residents emphasized their need for greater transparency regarding the project.[9] MSG's most recent document submission to the LLDC was filed in August 2020 in relation to the Regulation 25 rules of the of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017; all documents are available for perusal by the public.[10]

Construction of the MSG Sphere London project has been on hold since March 2020 due to disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic.[2]

Opposition[]

Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which operates the O2 Arena in south-east London, inquired about the Sphere's proximity to existing entertainment venues such as the London Stadium, the Copper Box Arena, and its own O2 Arena,[11] emphasising that "it is imperative that MSG's proposals do not add to congestion in the area".[12]

Others have highlighted that there is a shortage of affordable housing in the surrounding London Borough of Newham, which has more than 25,000 households on its waiting list. They claim that up to 1,400 homes could be built in place of the planned venue,[13] and noted that plans for a "snow dome" ski centre in the same location, backed by former London mayor Boris Johnson, were scrapped in 2016.[14] In January 2019, a group of local residents set up a website describing the reasons for their opposition to the Sphere project.[15] On 14 June 2019, Hackney Council rejected plans by the Madison Square Garden Company to display giant illuminated advertisements on the dome of the sphere.[16]

Transport links[]

The MSG Sphere will be accessible through a variety of mass transit links, including rail and bus. There are no proposals to extend Stratford Station or to provide parking.

Rail[]

The MSG Sphere London will be accessible via the London Underground's Central line and Jubilee line at the Stratford station. Spectators will also be able to access the MSG Sphere via Docklands Light Railway at Stratford station and Stratford International station. The North London line of the London Overground also stops at Stratford station. National Rail and Crossrail customers will be able to access the venue via Stratford station.

Bus[]

Spectators will be able to access the venue via bus through the Stratford City bus station and the Stratford bus station.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Populous to build spherical music venues in Vegas and London". Dezeen. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Owusu, Tony (8 November 2019). "Madison Square Garden to Split Sports, Entertainment: Could the Knicks Be Sold?". TheStreet. New York, NY. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b Dannen, Frederic (2020). "How James Dolan's Passion For Music Is Driving MSG's High-Risk Plan To Reshape The Arena Business". Billboard. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  4. ^ "MSG Sphere London". www.architectmagazine.com. American Architects Association. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. ^ "London Plans to Build Sphere Venue". EDM World Magazine♫♥. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  6. ^ "All you need to know about the planned MSG Sphere London". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  7. ^ "MSG London". MSG London Consultation. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  8. ^ "MSG London - Newham Polling". MSG LONDON. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Calls for transparency at public meeting on MSG Sphere". www.newhamrecorder.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  10. ^ "MSG London - Our Plans". MSG LONDON. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ^ "AEG on MSG London launch: 'Question mark' over location". IQ Magazine. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  12. ^ "AEG responds to MSG's plans for new London arena". www.musicweek.com. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  13. ^ "The Golf Ball: the next addition to London's skyline?". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  14. ^ "A giant glass orb is being planned for London's Olympic Park". Verdict. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Stop MSG Sphere". stopmsgspherelondon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Hackney Council rejects plans for giant digital ads on Madison Square Garden's proposed Stratford venue". www.newhamrecorder.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2019.

External links[]

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