The number of sports events hosted at London Stadium – home to West Ham United – could be cut, plans submitted to Newham Council reveal.
Stadium bosses want to cut the number of days it hosts sports events to accommodate an increase in other events such as concerts. A London Stadium spokesperson said the change would have “no impact on West Ham matches”.
However, they said they wanted to cut the cap on sports events at the venue “to balance the increase in the number of concert and other leisure events the stadium can stage”.
Bosses at London Stadium – which is owned by the Greater London Authority – want permission to host more major non-sporting events to mitigate financial losses.
Losses
They told City Hall last month that the stadium loses £19million a year as the rent it gets from West Ham United doesn’t cover running costs.
However, conditions attached to the stadium’s planning permission mean it can only host ten non-sports events each year. They also cap the number of sports events at 87. Stadium bosses now plan to apply to change this to 24 concert days and 70 sport days a year.
A spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service this wouldn’t affect the number of West Ham games. They said: “There is no impact on West Ham matches or their capacity (62,500).
“West Ham are entitled to play matches at the stadium as per the concession agreement, under which there is no circumstance they could play 70 matches a year.”
They added: “The stadium can use the balance of sports events after West Ham matches for international friendlies, baseball, athletics etc. There have been typically 2-3 such events in a year.
“If a major athletics championships was held it could increase to c.20 in a year. This remains all well within the 70 sport event cap, allowing for West Ham matches.”
West Ham United declined to comment.
Concerts
Speaking at the London Assembly last month, London Stadium chair Lyn Garner said the venue could seek to hold more concerts to raise income. She said the stadium’s accounts for the 2025/26 financial year would likely show a £19 million operating loss when finalised.
Garner also said West Ham’s relegation to the Championship will mean it pays less than half of the £4.6m annual rent it paid while in the Premier League.
She said the stadium’s annual losses had been in the “ballpark” of £19m “for some time”. However, she also said 2025/26 had been a “particularly bad year for London Stadium, with only two summer concerts”.
Noise
London Stadium will also seek a new noise limit for concerts as part of changes to its planning conditions.
Currently, noise is capped at 75 decibels for six of its permitted annual events, and 65 decibels for the remaining four, measured one metre from the facade of nearby buildings considered to be “sensitive receptors”.
Stadium bosses want the cap to be 75 decibels for all concerts it hosts. A spokesperson said this would allow the stadium to compete with “Wembley and Tottenham Stadium, who have more lenient db limits to London Stadium’s current consent”.
Details of the proposed changes were included in a request to the council to determine whether any application to change the conditions would need an environmental impact assessment. Last Friday (31 July), council planning officers advised it would not.
London Stadium LLP now intends to submit a planning application to change the conditions.
