Sphere Entertainment Company, which owns and manages the Sphere in Las Vegas, revealed that the mayor of London, England, rejected its plans to build a venue in the city.
In Tuesday’s announcement, the company explained that it would pull the nearly $80 million it had planned to use to buy land for the project and that it no longer had plans to develop in the United Kingdom.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan reportedly made the decision on Monday. A spokesperson for his office told reporters that he saw “independent evidence that shows the current proposals would result in an unacceptable negative impact” in the East London town of Stratford.
The city government published a report in May 2023 in which the London Assembly recommended rejecting Sphere’s plans because of “damaging effects for both people and wildlife” caused by light pollution.
According to reports, London’s Sphere would’ve been a smaller version of the Las Vegas structure, which stands 366 feet tall, 516 feet wide, and is covered in 1.2 million LED lights. Today, the Sphere hosts events on the inside of the building while also beaming imagery on the outside.
The revelation also follows Sphere’s first quarter earnings call with investors in which company executives said they have plans to make the brand “global,” but did not specify where.