London Stadium wants 24 concerts a year: what the planning application says

This is an update to the 12 June story, London Stadium Submits Planning Application to Newham Council. That story said the plans would not raise the overall event cap. The formal application goes further.

London Stadium has asked Newham Council to change the conditions on how many concerts it can hold. The application (reference 26/01784/FUL) was validated on 11 August and is still under consideration.

The stadium's own summary of the application, published on 8 August, is more specific than the June story: more events, bigger crowds for some of them, fewer sports dates.

What the application asks for

According to the stadium's 8 August announcement:

• Concerts and other non-sport leisure events go up from 10 to 24 a year.
• Up to eight concerts a year at 85,000. The other 16 stay at 80,000.
• Up to four occasions a year when concerts run four nights in a row, up from three.
• A 75 dB maximum music noise level for all events.
• Sports events rise from 60,000 to 62,500 capacity, but fall from 87 to 70 a year. West Ham matches are not affected.
• Boxing and Soccer Aid would count as leisure events, so they could use the 80,000 or 85,000 capacities.

The stadium says no physical changes are proposed, and that its transport modelling shows no significant impact on the routes spectators use. It also cites an economic assessment of an extra £15 million for the Newham economy through up to 800,000 more visits a year. Those are the stadium's figures, not the council's.

What it could mean for East Village

Fourteen more concerts a year would mean more evenings with large crowds heading for Stratford station and the paths through the Park. The application does not set out effects on East Village specifically.

The 75 dB figure is measured one metre from the façade of the nearest homes, averaged over 15 minutes. The stadium says no event has ever exceeded it. That is a claim about its own records. I have not seen the noise data.

What to do

You can read the application and comment through Newham Council's planning register under reference 26/01784/FUL. I have not confirmed a closing date for comments, so check the register for the current deadline before you write.

The stadium has also set up a planning application page with its own summary.

Photo: London Stadium by Daniel from Glasgow, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.