London

This is the best summary I could come up with:

It might be good enough for Las Vegas, but the Sphere – a dazzling orb-shaped 90 metre-high music venue that doubles as a giant digital billboard – is unlikely to be coming to London after the mayor rejected a planning application.

Khan’s refusal on Monday represented a change of attitude since the project was first announced in 2018, when the Labour mayor said: “It’s great to welcome another world-class venue to the capital, to confirm London’s position as a music powerhouse and to boost still further our city’s thriving night-time economy.”

It would also be “a bulky, unduly dominant and incongruous form”, environmentally unsustainable given the amount of energy required to power its lighting rigs and would harm the setting of nearby listed buildings and conservation areas.

Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, had issued a direction that would have allowed him to call the planning application in for his own final decision.

Nate Higgins, a local councillor who campaigned against the Sphere, said he was “absolutely delighted” with the refusal in London, which he said meant “residents will not have to put up with blackout blinds” and Stratford station would not become “overwhelmed”.

But as part of looking at the planning application for the MSG Sphere, the mayor has seen independent evidence that shows the current proposals would result in an unacceptable negative impact on local residents.”

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