Last modified on Mon 1 Feb 2021 04.01 EST
Coronavirus has pulled the plug on the live music business, and scientists are warning physical distancing restrictions may have to continue until Christmas, but one entertainment company is pushing ahead with plans to build a gigantic concert venue in London.
The US’s Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) – which owns the New York concert and sports venue – is planning to upstage the Millennium Dome with a globe-shaped structure called the MSG Sphere.
In the face of opposition from local people, the project is awaiting planning approval for a site in Stratford, just north of the dome, also known as the O2 Arena. The enormous building, measuring over 90 metres high and 120 metres wide, would contain a nightclub, bars, restaurants and shops, as well as a concert hall, which could welcome 21,500 people. This would make the Sphere bigger than any of the UK’s current concert venues, including the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena, and the