A decision on the hugely controversial plan to build the MSG Sphere, a glowing 21,000 capacity concert venue next to Stratford station, is on track to be finalised by the end of the year.

The Sphere is one of the final projects of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) which winds up in 2024.

Newham Council is now preparing to take control of the area and has launched a Borough-wide consultation to shape plans for development over the next 15 years, including the Olympic Park area.

This consultation will update the 2018 Local Development Plan to take account of urgent current concerns including the climate emergency, recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and building a business environment to tackle poverty and deprivation.

Council planners aim to avoid the sort of public row over planning that has plagued the MSG Sphere plan, which is strongly opposed by councillors, residents and community groups in Newham, who say it will cause noise and air pollution, add to overcrowding at Stratford and Maryland stations and will severely blight the area for local residents.

The new structure will tower over Stratford’s residential properties with Piccadilly Circus-style advertising shining brightly all day and night. An LLDC spokesperson told Newham Voices a final decision is expected by the end of next month.

The decision when it comes will be a test of decision-making and the power of residents’ voice in London because although Newham Council, the local MP Lyn Brown and many local residents are firmly opposed to the plan, their views can be overruled by the LLDC.

Lyn Brown wrote in The Guardian in August:

“Newham doesn’t want this venue, yet it’s the LLDC, not Newham council, that gets to recommend to (London Mayor) Sadiq Khan whether it is built. I don’t believe that’s fair or right.”

Newham’s new development plan aims to give priority to local concerns, and residents are being asked to submit their ideas on a range of actions, including:

• how to improve the environment and air quality

• places where development should take place

• the type of homes to be built

• the design and placing of shopping centres

• what heritage and community facilities should be provided

The deadline for comments is 17 December. Views can be registered here.

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