Newham Green Party’s Stratford Olympic Park councillors have today reacted as news broke that Sadiq Khan has blocked the MSG Sphere in his stage 2 decision[1].
Green councillor for Stratford Olympic Park Nate Higgins, said: “Absolutely delighted to share that our campaigning on behalf of residents in Stratford Olympic Park alongside the Stop the MSG Sphere campaign has paid off, and Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London has today rejected the MSG Sphere planning application in his stage 2 decision.”
“We would not be here today without the work of so many incredible campaigners. Because of their tireless efforts, which I have been honoured to support as the local councillor alongside Cllr Danny Keeling, residents will not have to put up with black out blinds or Stratford station becoming overwhelmed.”
“London's cultural venues are incredibly important, but this application was always completely inappropriate for the site and the 25 year advertising consent the applicants demanded show they were not interested in contributing to our capital's cultural scene – only bombarding the residents of Stratford with endless advertising.”
“We'll have more to say in the coming weeks about what happens next, but this incredible victory goes to show the value of community organising and listening to residents. As the local councillors, we'll never stop doing that.”
Councillor Danny Keeling, who also represents Stratford Olympic Park, added “In a housing crisis and in an area with multiple venues already including the London Stadium cancelling this eyesore was the correct thing to do.
ENDS
Councillor Nate Higgins uses he/him pronouns. Councillor Danny Keeling uses they/them pronouns.
The MSG Sphere was an application to build a new entertainment venue next to Stratford station in between two major residential developments as tall as Big Ben, which would be coated in a Sphere of LED advertising screens. It had been approved by the London Legacy Development Corporation’s Planning Decisions Committee in early 2022, despite overwhelming opposition from local representatives and residents. The Sphere was due to be built in Stratford Olympic Park ward.
The Green Party is Newham’s biggest and only opposition party elected to Newham council. Stratford Olympic Park is represented by two Green Party councillors.