Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, London, UK, has been given the green light to build a new 56,250-capacity stadium after winning its High Court battle against the sole business standing in the way of its redevelopment.
Plans for the £400m (US$644m, €498m) stadium, being built next to Tottenham’s current home of White Hart Lane, were
challenged by landowner Archway Sheet Metal Works at the High Court because of a compulsory purchase order of land being approved in July. However, its appeal was rejected after a judge said a compulsory purchase order against the property was not illegal.
“While there is still therefore a possibility of a further appeal, the hope must be that this High Court decision will now allow us to progress what is widely recognised as the flagship development in the regeneration of Tottenham,” said a statement from the club.
The project –
designed by the KSS Group and being developed in partnership with Spurs and local authorities – will also include as many as 275 homes, a hotel, a retail area and a public square for community events, such as ice skating or street markets. It will be funded by a £350m (US$537m, €475m) bridging loan facility from HSBC if there is a shortfall until permanent financing or the next stage of financing is obtained.
Other likely elements include a health club, a club megastore and museum and cafés. A supermarket and University Technical College, specialising in sports science and health – in partnership with Middlesex University, London – opened on the site in 2014.
KSS says the design "responds to the club's brief for an iconic stadium incorporating modern state-of-the-art facilities, and recreating the intense atmosphere of the current White Hart Lane stadium to provide the best possible spectator experience."
The concept expresses the idea of “flowing football, flowing lines”. KSS says "the curved cladding envelope and undulating roof together with a subtle use of club colours evokes the Spurs tradition of doing things with style and panache."
Tottenham Hotspur was one of the original supporters of the 10:10 environmental movement and is aiming to make the new stadium one of the most sustainable in the world.
The club was aiming to have its new stadium ready for the start of the 2017-18 season, however, the delay in the land purchase means it's likely to spend a season away from White Hart Lane, with Milton Keynes believed to be the interim location.
