London Stadium applies to host more concerts each year

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London Stadium has submitted a planning application to increase the number of concerts it stages and reduce the number of sporting fixtures it holds.

The application to the London Borough of Newham forms part of the Stadium’s ongoing review of operational arrangements and future event opportunities.

The 62,500-seat London Stadium is a multipurpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London (UK). It serves as the home facility of EFL Championship football club West Ham United F.C.

The proposed amendments are intended to provide greater flexibility in the delivery of concerts, sporting events and other large-scale leisure activities, helping the Stadium maximise its role as a world-class multi-purpose venue.

The BBC said the move was designed to generate an additional £15 million for the Newham economy through up to 800,000 additional visits to the Stadium each year.

There are no proposed changes to West Ham United fixtures or to the club’s current matchday capacity of 62,500.
 

The amendments sought are to:

• Increase the number of annual concerts and other non-sport leisure events from 10 to 24.
• Increase the maximum event capacity to 85,000 for up to eight concerts each year, while maintaining the current capacity of 80,000 for up to 16 events.
• Increase the maximum number of consecutive concert nights from three to four, for up to four occasions per year.
• Operate all events at a maximum music noise level of 75 dB (no event has ever exceeded this level at London Stadium)
• Increase the capacity for all sports events from 60,000 to 62,500, aligning these events with the current capacity for West Ham United matches. Sports events include athletics, baseball and rugby and would allow events such as the 2029 World Athletics Championships to be staged at a capacity of 62,500.
• Reduce the annual frequency of sports events from 87 to 70 to accommodate the additional 14 concerts. This change would have no impact on the 20-30 West Ham United matches held at the Stadium each year.
• Include uniquely operated sporting events, such as boxing and Soccer Aid for UNICEF, within the definition of other leisure events, enabling them to be staged at capacities of up to 80,000 or 85,000.

 
No physical changes are proposed to the Stadium as part of this application.

The submission includes detailed modelling which demonstrates that the proposals would not result in any significant impact on the transport infrastructure used by spectators travelling to and from the venue.

Lyn Garner, who chairs London Stadium LLP, said the venue lost £19 million every year because of the long-term deal signed with West Ham over the use of the venue, which is owned by the Greater London Authority.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has previously criticised the 99-year deal, which has no break clause for City Hall, blaming his predecessor for failing to obtain better terms.

Garner said that the stadium’s annual losses had been in the “ballpark” of £19 million for “some time”, but 2025/26 had been a “particularly bad year for London Stadium, with only two summer concerts”.

She added West Ham’s relegation to the Championship meant it would pay less than half the £4.6m annual rent it paid in the Premier League.

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