Spurs New £400m Stadium Granted Planning Approval

Being very interested in football as well as the construction industry, new stadia always catches my attention.  An article that caught my attention today was one I read with interest on Construction Enquirer, that Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) has secured a final planning deal to clear the way to build a new stadium next to its base at White Hart Lane.  The deal with Haringey Council is being seen as an indication that Spurs will drop its High Court attempt to take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, a contest won by West Ham United.

Spurs signed a section 106 agreement on Tuesday night, committing it to pay £17m to local transport and infrastructure improvements, if the club decides to go-ahead with a new stadium next to their White Hart Lane base in north London.

Spurs are keeping their options open with the £400m Northumberland Development Project for a new stadium in Tottenham, while they are also fighting the decision to give West Ham the keys to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

A Tottenham spokesman said: “The club can confirm that the Section 106 agreement in respect of the Northumberland Development Project has now been completed and planning permissions have been issued. This enables discussions with the London Borough of Haringey, the Mayor of London and central government to continue as we seek to make the development viable and deliverable. As always, we shall keep all our supporters updated as these progress.”

So what would the Stadium look like and what would the build plan look like, assuming Spurs goes ahead with this new stadium.  Well apparently the fans will be closer to the pitch than at any other new UK stadium.  A new “home end” single tier will be designed to generate the atmosphere and  a wall of sound.

The new stadium location and designs ensure that Spurs can continue to play at White Hart Lane even during construction. This phasing plan explains how the change from the old to the new stadium is made over the course of one season and that at no stage is capacity less than that of the current ground.

Phase 1: New stadium build commences to the North of the existing stadium. The existing stadium remains in use at full capacity.

Phase 2: Out of season, the North Stand of the existing stadium is demolished and the new pitch is laid.

Phase 3: The partially completed new stadium is in use for one season with a capacity in excess of the current ground. The remainder of the existing stadium is demolished. 

Phase 4: Out of season the remainder of the new stadium is completed, ready for the start of the following season. The public square and remaining public space is created and the rest of the development begins construction.

So there you have it.  Whether Spurs drop their pursuit of the Olympic stadium now, who knows, though you would think they would.  Not that I am a Spurs fan, but if I were, I would rather be in the spiritual home of my team, than in a completely different location that I had no bond with.

This looks a great, well though out stadium, let's home spurs go ahead with it ASAP, which I am sure all the fans would like and would be good for our economy and the construction industry.