Likewise, there might be cities that would welcome a planned $2bn (£1.6bn) investment to create a version of the Sphere, based on the spectacular venue in Las Vegas recently opened with a concert by U2.
But not this one. Last week, Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, rejected the plan on the grounds of potential noise pollution. All the euros that music fans might have spent at the continent’s most high-tech music venue can go somewhere else, thank you. The risk of the chorus to U2’s With or Without You escaping into the tranquil evenings of east London is too much to tolerate.
It doesn’t stop there. M&S is taking the Government to court over the demented decision by Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, to prevent it from redeveloping its Oxford Street store, regardless of the fact that its tacky collection of candy stores and souvenir shops are an embarrassment to what should be one of the great shopping streets in the world.
Likewise, a plan for a new data centre in Buckinghamshire, which is desperately needed to serve tech companies that are trying to grow in London, was turned down earlier this month on behalf of Gove because apparently it might “spoil the view” of the green belt, even though it was sandwiched next to the M25.
As for a new airport, or even a runway at an existing one, we will carry on debating that for at least another decade or two. The list goes on and on. The message is very clear. If you want to build something in London, or invest in new businesses, forget it. The city’s politicians and planners, to borrow a phrase from the capital’s traditional rhyming slang, couldn’t give a Kate Moss.
