New problems for Spurs over White
Plans to construct 330 homes face major hurdle Sales meant to help repay loans for stadium build
Tottenham Hotspur are suffering further significant frustration in their plans to regenerate the area around White Hart Lane ahead of what should have been the first game in the club’s new £800million stadium against Liverpool on Saturday.
In the latest delay surrounding the proposed redevelopment of the area, Haringey Council has made no decision on Tottenham’s proposal to build 330 new homes on a site outside the White Hart Lane railway station which could generate major income for the club. The lack of progress has now prompted Spurs to appeal to the planning inspectorate on the grounds of Haringey’s “non-determination”.
It all follows the recent embarrassment over the building delays to their 62,000-capacity stadium, which have meant this weekend’s planned grand opening remains delayed until at least November.
Matches against Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Cardiff City, PSV Eindhoven, Watford and Inter Milan are all now taking place at Wembley or Milton Keynes – and there is still no firm timescale for the stadium being ready.
The delays have not just been a source of inconvenience to Tottenham fans, but also to those of Manchester City, who were forced to switch both the date and venue of their Premier League match, and the NFL, which has been forced to move a planned American football match to Wembley.
The cost of the stadium has escalated sharply since a figure of £400million was first mooted and, with contractors drafting in vast swathes of workers in an effort to get the stadium built as early into this season as possible, the final bill is expected to exceed £800million.
Spurs have already secured £400million of bank loans, which are repayable over a five-year period, and remain adamant that funding for the stadium itself is not linked to their housing plans.
Spurs first submitted planning application for the pocket of land known as the “Goods Yard” last November but are still waiting for an answer from Haringey on a pro- ject that, as well as the 330 new homes, would include retail, office space and the refurbishment of the locally-listed Station Master’s House to turn it into a cafe.
An appeal to the planning inspectorate on the grounds of nondetermination is a course of action only generally recommended after engaging with the local authority over when a decision will be made.
Haringey Council said yesterday it could not offer any comment while an application was still in process, but it would take a formal view of the development and submit a report to the planning inspectorate. The planning inspectorate will then take the matter forward, with a decision likely within months.
Tottenham believe it is important for development of the site to be brought forward without delay in order to build on the “positive effect” of its new stadium on the area. They were entitled to refer the matter to the inspectorate once Haringey had failed to make a decision over a set time, thought to be 16 weeks.
“Our plans for the Goods Yard site, which is owned by the club, would deliver up to 330 new homes, including 40 per cent affordable housing, with new employment, retail and leisure spaces at the ground floor and are in line with the adopted Area Action Plan for the area,” said a club spokesperson.
There is a comparison between what Spurs have done in trying to redevelop land around their new stadium and the property development that Arsenal previously oversaw around the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal’s projections were affected by the financial crash in 2008, but they did ultimately bring in well over £150 million, which was important in helping to pay off their bank loans following the construction of the Emirates.
A quicker return, however, would have hugely helped Arsene Wenger in the transfer market during what was a period of considerable financial restraint.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs manager, has suggested the White Hart Lane redevelopment can be the catalyst to transforming Tottenham into a club that can compete to win the Premier League.
The exact financial significance of the Goods Yard development for Tottenham is unclear and the plot of land, which takes in 44-52 White Hart Lane, also forms part of an alternative planning application. It is understood, however, that this application would be dependent on securing the land from Tottenham via a compulsory purchase order.
Spurs have already delivered new homes and schooling in the area as part of the 2015 Cannon Road project that built 222 affordable new homes. Subject to the availability of a housing grant, Spurs are proposing 40 per cent of this latest scheme will include affordable housing for local residents.