Tottenham stadium gets green light

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur announced yesterday that they have been granted planning permission for revised proposals to build a new 61,000-seat stadium adjacent to their current White Hart Lane home.

“We can announce that Haringey Council’s planning sub committee has approved the club’s new stadium proposals,” the Premier League club said in a short statement on Twitter following a late-night local council meeting.

The development, known as the Northumberland Development Project, will reportedly cost £400 million.

The stadium is also due to host two NFL matches per year over a 10-year period, following a deal announced in July.

Spurs intend to move into the new ground in time for the 2018-19 season and will need to vacate White Hart Lane while works are carried out, meaning next season should be their last at the ground.

The revised plans, which also include a hotel, sports centre, health centre, homes and a museum/shop complex, must now be approved by London Mayor Boris Johnson, who has previously given his backing to the project.

Tottenham have played their home games at White Hart Lane, which seats 36,284 people, since 1899.

The new stadium will help Tottenham compete with their local rivals in terms of match-day revenue.

At 61,000, the stadium’s capacity would be marginally greater than that of the Emirates Stadium, home of Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal, which currently holds 60,260 fans.

Chelsea also recently unveiled proposals for a new 60,000-seater ground on the site of Stamford Bridge, which seats 41,798.

Spurs are due to play at a temporary home during the 2017-18 season, but have not yet revealed where.

A move to Wembley Stadium has previously been discussed, although Chelsea are also interested in playing there while Stamford Bridge is extended.

There is also the potential for a groundshare with West Ham at the remodelled Olympic Stadium or a move outside London to Milton Keynes.