A huge new basketball arena is touted for the Olympic Park.
Plans are afoot to build a 25,000-seater arena close to the Olympic Stadium, with the prime goal of attracting NBA basketball. Details remain sketchy, but here's what we know so far...
They're calling it the London Colosseum. This will in no way be confused with the London Coliseum, the historic theatre and opera/ballet venue on St Martin's Lane.
The stadium would be the largest indoor arena in the country, and would also support boxing, Ultimate Fighting, esports and other indoor pursuits. It would be in direct competition with the O2 just across the river.
The NBA is America's top basketball league. In recent years, it has arranged a number of games overseas, including in London. Now, it's looking to start a European league, and London would be a prime target. A new, dedicated stadium would be a boon.
Mayor-backed plans for a basketball stadium have been floating about for a while, as a home for our top team, the London Lions. It is unclear if this latest proposal is directly linked to that.
The project has been put forward by a consortium of Jericho Estates, Peacock Gym, Torch Sports and architects Chybik and Kristof.
Architect Ondřej Chybík points out that this would be more than just a stadium.
“A key component of the proposal is a multifunctional tower, featuring a hotel, residences and community facilities, that brings together hospitality, residential, and community uses, extending the life of the site beyond event-based programming and embedding it within the everyday rhythm of the city."
The site would also include academy facilities to train up the next generation of ball-bouncers.
The London Colosseum remains an idea at this stage and has not entered the formal planning process. Indeed, a spokesperson for LLDC was keen to rebut the idea:
"LLDC has been made aware of reports about plans for a ‘London Colosseum’ to be built at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. These reports are incorrect. As landowner of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, there is no agreement between LLDC and any developer, architect or project team to build this arena."
Having the arena on the table, even notionally, does, however, make London an attractive proposition for the NBA Europe league.
