London Stadium intends to submit a planning application to the London Borough of Newham to change the current number and profile of events from the summer of 2027. The current target for submitting the planning application is summer 2026.
The application seeks to enable London Stadium to remain competitive with other major venues in the capital and continue to deliver on the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games for residents of both Stratford and London. We would like to provide you with advance notice of this application, and provide an early opportunity to comment.
The application will be proposing:
- An increase to the number of permitted concerts and other leisure events from 10 to a maximum of 24 per year. To balance this increase, a reduction in Sports Events is also proposed taking the current annual figure of 97 events down to 94 events a year.
- Change to a 75 dB music noise limit for all concerts. This is a maximum, and the Measured Music Noise Levels (MNL) to the key noise sensitive receptors around the Stadium (closest residential neighbourhoods and businesses) over the past 6 years are primarily in the range of 60 dB to 70 dB which is in the same range as urban traffic.
- An uplift from 3 to 4 consecutive nights of concerts. Whilst concerts occurring over four consecutive nights is a rare occurrence, it is important to note that the concert market has evolved in recent years, with an increasing demand for “residencies”. To continue to attract the biggest artists to East London, London Stadium needs to offer artists this flexibility.
- A limited increase in concert capacity to 85,000, for a maximum of 8 events per year. London Stadium currently operates at an 80,000-concert and leisure events capacity. We expect this to be the standard capacity for a traditional stage set up, however, the stadium can increase that capacity for an “in-the-round” concert (i.e. stage located in the middle of the pitch, providing a 360-degree view).
- Standardisation of Sports Event capacity to 62,500 in line with current West Ham restrictions. This is vital to the 2029 World Athletics Championships bid, as well as helping us attract and host other prominent events.
- Acknowledgment that events such as Soccer Aid and boxing form part of the ‘other leisure events’ category.
Full details will be provided as part of the application, with relevant supporting documents as agreed with the local planning authority.
If you would like to make any comments to London Stadium in advance of the application being submitted, or have any questions, then please email info@london-stadium.com
