Resolution passed at CLP GC meeting on 24th Jan

West Ham Labour Party notes:

The proposal by MSG Limited to build a concert venue called MSG Sphere with a capacity to hold up to 21,000 people. This venue will also function as a night club with a capacity of 2000. The proposed structure will be 130 meters in height, which is taller than St. Paul’s cathedral.

Visually the sphere would be a giant flickering ball of adverts and will severely impact on the quality of life for the thousands of local residents that live in the homes surrounding it. They will suffer from noise
pollution, loss of natural light during the day and advertising light pollution day and night.

Noisy revellers are likely to be causing nuisance day and night. There are also concerns for the safety of rail passengers using Stratford station, which is already severely over capacity, and Maryland station which is small and physically unable to cope with many thousands of new passengers.

Furthermore, London Stadium and The O2 Arena are already being successfully utilised for concerts and therefore there is no need for another venue in such a densely populated residential zone.

We call upon Newham Council and our Mayor R.Fiaz to:
1. Oppose the building of the MSG Sphere
2. To actively engage with and support the local community campaign in opposition to developers and their agenda as it will undermine the quality of life for residents in our community
3. To express the Council’s opposition to this scheme to the Mayor of London and call upon him to veto it.
4. To do everything possible to ensure that whatever is built on the site in question is to for the benefit of the local community, not its detriment. We must send a clear message to the electorate that this Labour Council puts local people’s interests before multi-nationals’ profits.