Brent Council to decide over Wembley Stadium major events rise

Plans were put forward to Brent Council on May 15 to increase the number of times major events can take place at the 90,000 seat stadium.

An event cap was originally introduced after the original stadium was demolished and replaced with its modernised version, limiting the number of major sporting events held at the stadium to 22 and non-sporting events to 15 a year.

Unlimited additional events were permitted, as long as the number of spectators was below 51,000.

It was proposed this year that a revised event cap is introduced which removes reference to sporting and non-sporting events, to provide “additional flexibility”.

Instead the overall event cap could increase by eight events, from 46 to 54.

Brent Council’s planning committee will be meeting today (September 11) at 6pm to discuss the case.

The meeting is open for the public to attend or can be followed through a live webcast on the council website.

Ed Sheeran performing in 2022 at Wembley Stadium (Image: Joseph Reaidi)

Nearly 200 people have commented on the proposal on the planning application  - with the majority being objections.

One person said they “already find the area unbearable during events” due to the congestion and security concerns.

Another claimed they would sell their property if the frequency of major events were to increase.

There were however some in support, and one Wembley homeowner said they are in favour of it, but “we definitely require more parking enforcement officers on duty”.

Crowds at the November 2023 England V Malta game at Wembley Stadium (Image: Joseph Reaidi)

There have been a few moments that the cap was temporarily revised, for example when Tottenham Hotspur played an additional 22 games between August 2017 and July 2018.

The planning application references the thriving music scene during concert seasons between June and August, with acts such as Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Beyonce and Taylor Swift selling out the stadium on multiple occasions.

It stated: “Concerts and other non-football events are an increasingly important component of the stadium’s business model, with significant and direct economic benefits from each concert into Brent’s local economy.

“Despite continued demand for concerts at the stadium, with the attendance at Wembley averaging at 72,500 per event since 2014, there is strong and growing competition between stadiums and other venues both within and outside London.”