London Stadium seeks more non-sport events to cut £19m losses

London Stadium 185 (LS185), the venue's operator, is seeking permission from Newham Council to significantly increase the number of non-sporting events it can host annually. The application aims to raise the limit from ten to 24 events per year, a move LS185 states is necessary to offset substantial financial losses.

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The stadium has reported annual losses of approximately £19 million, with LS185 attributing these figures partly to current restrictions. According to a statement submitted with the planning application, these limits inhibit the venue's ability to compete with other major London venues. LS185 claims this has led to the stadium missing out on bids to host major artists such as Harry Styles and Bad Bunny, as well as Jay-Z and Beyonce. The venue has lost these opportunities to rivals including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium.

Proposed Changes to Event Capacity and Noise Levels

Under the proposed changes, LS185 wants to increase the maximum attendance for eight of the 24 permitted event days to 85,000 people. The current limit for non-sporting events is 80,000. The stadium also seeks to relax noise restrictions, proposing a new limit of 75 decibels for these events. Currently, noise is capped at 75 decibels for only six permitted annual events, with a lower 65-decibel limit for the remaining four. The plans also include increasing the maximum attendance for all sports events to 62,500, a figure currently only permitted for West Ham United matches.

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LS185 also wants to be able to host concerts for up to four nights in a row, an increase from the current limit of three consecutive nights. The application reference number is 26/01784/FUL. The stadium can currently host up to 87 sports events annually, and the new plans would reduce this to 70, a change LS185 states will not impact West Ham United games. However, the stadium wishes to include boxing matches among its 24 other permitted events to allow for higher attendance, citing the 96,000 capacity at a Wembley boxing match in 2024.

Next Steps for the Application

The application is currently under consideration by Newham Council. Details of the planning application, reference 26/01784/FUL, can be viewed on the council's planning website. In July, London Stadium bosses informed the Greater London Authority, which owns the venue, that more major non-sporting events were needed to mitigate financial losses. London Stadium chair Lyn Garner stated at the time that the stadium's annual losses had been in the "ballpark" of £19 million for some time, describing the 2025/26 year as particularly difficult with only two summer concerts.