Las Vegas locals warn Londoners new concert venue MSG Sphere like ‘sun on Earth’ with 36m lights

Londoners have been warned over the building of a huge new concert venue in the shape of glowing orb as its twin building in Las Vegas has been compared to a ‘sun on Earth’ by residents.

Plans for the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Sphere in Stratford, East London, progressed last week after its advertising display – which will run from dawn until late at night – on the Big Ben-sized venue with 36million LED lights was approved by a London planning committee.

The display on the Las Vegas version of the venue – which is due to open later this year – was tested last week.

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.’

Londoners have been warned over the building of a huge new concert venue – the Madison Square Garden Sphere – in the shape of glowing orb as its twin building in Las Vegas has been compared to a ‘sun on Earth’ by residents. Pictured: A rendering of the MSG Sphere for Stratford, East London

Plans for the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Sphere in Stratford, East London, progressed last week after the advertising display was approved

Rendering of the MSG Sphere, a planned concert venue for Stratford, east London

Vegas residents may have to buy black-out blinds and curtains to combat the hugely increased light pollution, Mr Cline told the Guardian.

While the bright building might seem at home in Las Vegas – known for it’s shining casinos and venues – Mr Cline said that did not think anything similar would get the go ahead in other US cities such as San Fransico or Los Angeles or residential areas.

Las Vegas Review Journal, 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.

In March last year, the 300-foot-high ‘Sphere’ was given the go ahead by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) to be built on an empty spot of land between Stratford Station and the Olympic Park.

The music venue, said to cost a reported £800milllion, 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.’

Lights atop the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas (pictured) were tested earlier this week

‘It’s almost like building a sun on Earth,’ said Las Vegas resident Billy Cline

But the despite the planning approval the proposed structure was branded a ‘monstrous glowing orb’ as hundreds of residents complained that it would ‘blight’ the area with light and sound pollution.

It is claimed the sphere, which has been backed by University of East London and former Culture Secretary Matt Hancock, would boost London’s economy by £2.5 billion

Paul Westbury, from MSG, said in March that the ‘state of the art venue’ would help make Stratford ‘a global destination for music and technology’ and that the plans had been ‘informed by’ feedback from residents.

West Ham MP Lyn Brown, who opposes the construction has called the sphere ‘monstrous’ and has raised fears about added pressure on local transport. Particularly at the station at Stratford which already copes with travellers to the Westfield shopping centre and West Ham’s 60,000-seater stadium.

She urged Mayor Sadiq Khan or Communities and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to intervene to prevent or limit the sphere’s construction.

The Labour MP also previously scolded the LLDC over the fact the site was previously public land which could have been used for housing before it was sold to real estate business Westfield and ultimately to MSG.

West Ham MP Lyn Brown, who opposes the construction has called the sphere ‘monstrous’ and has raised fears about added pressure on local transport

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’

More than 1,000 local residents formally objected to the planning application, while a petition calling for the project to be scrapped received more than 2,000 signatures.

Charity manager Sanch Kanagarajah, 39, who lives in a block of flats facing the venue site told the Guardian he was worried about his sleep being disrupted by the lights and moving imagery.

Green party councillor for Stratford Olympic Park Nate Higgins told the planning committee on Tuesday that locals ‘don’t want the Sphere at all’ and would be forced to buy blackout blinds so that a private developer could build a ‘massive advertising screen masquerading as an entertainment venue’.

An LLDC spokesperson said that the the proposed plans involved ‘significant consultation’ and had been ‘subject to robust review and detailed officer reports’.

An MSG spokesperson told the Guardian that they are ‘committed to being a good neighbour in Stratford and fully understand concerns of some residents’ and were ‘mindful of the differences between Las Vegas and Newham’.

They added that the London Sphere will operate at a limited brightness and at different times of day compared to the Vegas Sphere. 

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: ‘As this is a live application that will be referred back to the mayor, we cannot comment in advance of any decision he may make.’