Northumberland Development Project

Northumberland Development Project
Artist's impression of the Northumberland Development Project
Full name	TBA
Former names	White Hart Lane
Location	London, England
Coordinates	51°36′11.77″N 0°03′56.74″W / 51.6032694°N 0.0657611°W / 51.6032694; -0.0657611
Broke ground	On hold
Owner	Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	Estimated at around £400 million
Architect	MAKE Architects (Masterplanners) KSS Design Group
Project Manager	Ken Shuttleworth
Structural engineer	Buro Happold
Capacity	56,250
Tenants
Tottenham Hotspur

The Northumberland Development Project is a project to build a football stadium which will replace White Hart Lane as the home stadium of Tottenham Hotspur.^[1] The stadium is intended to have a capacity of 56,250 spectators.^[2] The development plans also include 200 homes, a 150-room hotel, a supermarket and a public square for community events such as ice skating or street markets.^[2][3] After an extended period of consultation with the local community,^[4] negotiations with Haringey Council and the Mayor of London, planning permissions were issued on 20 September 2011.^[5]

Background

The club stated in 2007 that it was considering options for increasing stadium capacity involving redevelopment of the current site or a move to a new site. It advised in the 2007/8 Interim Financial Statement that the preferred option would be announced in the first half of 2008, but later delayed this decision until the autumn of 2008.^[6] The Club had also considered a move to a new site. One possibility for the club was to use the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Olympics. As this would have involved a move out of the Tottenham area and because the stadium was required to retain a running track the Club advised the plan was dropped.^[7]

In November 2007 Tony Winterbottom, formerly of the London Development Agency, who had worked on development of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, was reported as leading the development of the options for the new stadium.^[8]

In April 2008 it was revealed in the press that investigations were taking place into the possible use of the adjacent Wingate industrial estate. If planning permission and the agreement of the current businesses there was granted, a 55–60,000-seat stadium could be constructed on the current White Hart Lane site.^[9]

In December 2008, the design for the new stadium, by KSS Design Group and Buro Happold was revealed.^[10] A projected completion date was predicted on 26 October 2009, as Spurs' chairman Daniel Levy stated that Spurs intend to move into the partially built new stadium for the start of the 2012–13 season, with the final 56,250-seat venue ready for the following campaign.^[11]

At this point plans were nominated the Northumberland Development Project.

Development project plans

The Northumberland Development Project covers an area of around 20 acres (81,000 m²), bordered by Park Lane to the South, Worcester Avenue to the East, Northumberland Park to the North and the High Road to the West. The stadium will be built alongside the existing White Hart Lane.^[12] and will be designed in such a way that the crowd will be close to the pitch in order to maximise the atmosphere inside the ground. It will feature a single-tier stand, similar to the Kop at Liverpool's Anfield ground.

Spurs have not released the projected cost of the stadium, although it is estimated at around £400 million.^[2][13] Instead of maintaining the White Hart Lane name, corporate sponsorship of the stadium will instead be pursued.^[1] with Spurs eyeing potential suitors in the UAE.^[14]

The plans comprise^[15]

• Stadium with a 56,250 capacity.
• Public square, located on a raised podium running from the High Road through to Worcester Avenue.
• Redevelopment of the High Road, with a courtyard setting for retained historic buildings and new landscaping in front of the stadium.
• 150 bedroom hotel with restaurant, overlooking the new public square.
• 200 new homes.
• Supermarket with parking, offering with Club offices above and a Skybar and roof garden connected to the stadium via a bridge link.
• New offices for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, with state-of-the-art facilities allowing for even greater reach and impact.
• Club Megastore and museum, together with a new ticket office and café.

The Club, which is a founding participant of the 10:10 environmental campaign has summarised the energy saving measures and other environmentally friendly elements of the project which it claims will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 40% compared to current Building Regulation requirements and make it one of the most environmentally sustainable stadia in the United Kingdom.

Project funding

On 21 August 2009 Tottenham Hotspur made a Stock Exchange announcement that it was issuing 30 million new shares aimed at raising £15 million to fund the first stage of the proposed development. The funds specifically relate to the professional costs required to advance the project to the point where a full planning application can be submitted. The club's major shareholder, ENIC International Ltd subscribed to take up 27.8 million of the shares.^[16] The club have also bid for an investment from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF). A decision is still awaited.^[17][17][18]

On July 22nd, 2011, supporter group Supporting Our Future submitted a proposal for a £50 million funding initiative to Spurs to support the Northumberland Development Project^[19] by way of a Community Share scheme. This proposal was presented after polling Spurs fans on their views of the club and Northumberland Park Development^[20], and extensive consultation with the club, Haringey Council, and Supporters Direct.

Application for planning permission

The club originally submitted a planning application for the stadium to Haringey Council in October 2009, with a view to starting construction in 2010. However, following criticism by English Heritage, and the Government’s advisory body on architecture, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, and other conservation groups about the proposed demolition of listed buildings, in May 2010 the club withdrew its planning application in favour of a revised plan, which retained the listed buildings, reduced the number of new-build residential houses and improved the public spaces.^[21] On 30 September the Planning Committee of Haringey Council unanimously approved the revised planning application. Daniel Levy, Tottenham chairman said:-

“

Clearly we are delighted with this unanimous decision and are grateful to all those who expressed such clear support for the plans. I should stress that there is still much work to be done. We shall continue to work with Haringey Council and the application will now be considered by the Mayor of London and referred to the Secretary of State."[4]

”

The Mayor of London gave his approval to the plans to redevelop the stadium on 25 November 2010. The club confirmed, on 9 December 2010, that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had written to confirm that she did not propose to call in the planning application and that English Heritage would not be seeking further consideration of the listed building consent application for the Northumberland Development Project, the club concluded the Section 106 agreement with Haringey Council and planning permission was granted on 20 September 2011.^[22]

Following the riots in the Tottenham area other parts of London and elsewhere in England in August 2011 the Greater London Authority and Haringey Council announced on 28 September that it would relieve the club of all community infrastructure payments that planners would normally require, estimated at £8.5m, and to provide a further £8.5m for regeneration and infrastructure projects.^[23]

Tottenham Hotspur had originally planned to move into the new stadium, whilst it is partially built, for the beginning of the 2012–13 season, and the stadium would be completed by the following campaign. It has not been clarified by the club how long the delay in receiving planning approval will put back the project completion date.

Olympic Stadium site

Artist's impression of the proposed new stadium at the Olympic Stadium site

On 1 October 2010 Daniel Levy confirmed in a press statement issued following planning approval of the Northumberland Development plan the previous day that the club had also registered an interest in the Olympic Stadium site in conjunction with AEG (Europe) as the deadline for declaring interest was on 30 September 2010. The Chairman explained that:-

“

It is only prudent and good management that we ensure that we investigate all possible options for the Club. We were informed by the Olympic Park Legacy Company that were we not to register an interest at this time, there would not be an opportunity at any future date.[4]

”

On 12 November 2010 the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) announced that together with West Ham United, the Tottenham Hotspur/AEG consortium were the preferred bidders to take over the Olympic stadium after the 2012 Olympics. The OPLC advised that negotiations would proceed with both bidders and the winning bid would be confirmed in March 2011.^[24] On 13 January 2011, David Lammy, the Member of Parliament for Tottenham threatened to take legal action against the use of name 'Tottenham' if the club went ahead with a move out of Tottenham.^[25] The OPLC announced on 11 February 2011 that West Ham had been selected as the preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium, subject to the decision being ratified by Government departments and the Mayor of London. In a statement Tottenham Hotspur advised that as the deal was not yet concluded the club would continue to "monitor the situation".^[26] Spurs then applied for a judicial review to overturn the OPLC's decision, however this appeal was rejected in June 2011^[27]

The Olympic Legacy Company announced on 5 July 2011 that an independent review into the awarding of the Olympic Park Stadium to West Ham F.C. was to be carried out on its behalf by auditors Moore Stephens. This was a consequence of the discovery on 30 June 2011 that an employee of the Legacy Company, Dionne Knight, had been engaged by West Ham to carry out consultancy work relating to the Olympic Stadium without permission of the OPLC. The OPLC announced that Ms Knight had been suspended whilst a possible conflict of interest was investigated. It also became known that Ms Knight had already declared to the OPLC that she was in a personal relationship with a director of the football club. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur announced it was seeking a judicial review of the decision to award the stadium to West Ham after the Olympics.^[28]

On 24 August 2011, Tottenham and Leyton Orient won a review of the decision, being told that they had an arguable case.^[29] The review was due to take place on 18 October 2011. However, on 11 October 2011 the deal to sell the stadium to West Ham collapsed.^[30] On 17 October 2011 it was announced by the government that Tottenham Hotspur (and Leyton Orient F.C.) had withdrawn legal action seeking a judicial review into the handing of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham.^[31]

See also

• Ground developments to football stadia in the English football league system

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Tottenham reveal new ground plan". BBC Sport. 2008-10-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7699135.stm. Retrieved 2008-12-24. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Sheringham, Sam (2009-10-26). "Spurs aim for new stadium by 2012". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8326735.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-26. 
3. ^ "Spurs reveal new stadium designs". BBC Sport. 2009-04-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7975439.stm. Retrieved 2009-04-03. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Stadium Plans "THFC Official website Accessed 2 October 2010
5. ^ "Tottenham sign planning agreement to build new stadium". BBC. 20th September 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14996725.stm. 
6. ^ "Stadium Update". Tottenhamhotspur.com. 6 May 2008. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/stadiumupdate060508.html. Retrieved 25 May 2008. 
7. ^ "Spurs rule out 2012 stadium move". BBC Sport. 16 October 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/6056714.stm. Retrieved 24 December 2008. 
8. ^ Mihir Bose (5 November 2007). "Tottenham plan stadium expansion". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7080067.stm. Retrieved 3 February 2008. 
9. ^ Spurs consider White Hart Lane exit for 55,000-seat stadium The Guardian, 9 April 2008.
10. ^ "Spurs reveal images of new ground". BBC Sport. 15 December 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7784290.stm. Retrieved 16 December 2008. 
11. ^ Spurs aim for new stadium by 2012
12. ^ "Spurs reveal images of new ground". BBC Sport. 2008-12-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7784290.stm. Retrieved 2008-12-24. 
13. ^ Isaacs, Marc (2008-11-14). "Tottenham Hotspur release plans for new stadium as Harry Redknapp praised". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/tottenham/3454004/Tottenham-Hotspur-release-plans-for-new-stadium-as-Harry-Redknapp-praised-Football.html. Retrieved 2008-12-24. 
14. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur Seek UAE Sponsorship". Khaleej Times. 12 June 2009. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/sports/2009/June/sports_June323.xml&section=sports. 
15. ^ THFC Northumberland Development Plan THFC website, Accessed 22 May 2010
16. ^ "Stock Exchange Announcement - Placing of new shares to raise £15 million". Tottenham Hotspur. 2009-08-09. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/clubannouncement210809.html. Retrieved 2009-08-22. 
17. ^ ^{a b} "Northumberland Development Project - Club submits bid to Regional Growth Fund (RGF)". 
18. ^ "Northumberland Development Project - Club submits bid to Regional Growth Fund (RGF)". Northumberland Development Project - Club submits bid to Regional Growth Fund (RGF). Tottenham Hotspur FC. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans/northumberland-development-project-club-submits-bid-to-regional-growth-fund-010711.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=northumberland-development-project-club-submits-bid-to-regional-growth-fund-010711. 
19. ^ Supporting Our Future - News - Supporting Our Future Community Share Proposal to Tottenham Hotspur FC and Haringey Borough Council
20. ^ Supporting Our Future - News - Fan Referendum 2011, Results Now Online!
21. ^ Tottenham’s plans to redevelop White Hart Lane shown red card Times online, Accessed 22 May 2010
22. ^ Northumberland Development Project Update - News Articles - Tottenhamhotspur.com, Accessed 20 September 2011
23. ^ "Club reveal next stage plans for Northumberland Development Tottenham stadium: Club offered White Hart Lane deal". BBC. 2011-09-28. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15095674. Retrieved 2011-11-18. 
24. ^ Tottenham and West Ham lead London 2012 stadium bid "BBC News online, Accessed 12-11-2010
25. ^ Leave Tottenham and you become Stratford Hotspur, local MP tells club, Accessed 13 January 2011
26. ^ West Ham chosen as preferred Olympic Stadium tenant BBC Sport online Retrieved 12-02-2011
27. ^ Kirk, Tristan. "Spurs judicial review bid over Olympic Stadium rejected by judge". Spurs judicial review bid over Olympic Stadium rejected by judge. Haringey Independent. http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/news/topstories/9104745.Spurs__Olympic_Stadium_challenge_rejected_by_judge/. Retrieved 25 June 2011. 
28. ^ London 2012: OPLC reviews Olympic Stadium bid process "BBC News online", Accessed 2011-07-16
29. ^ "Spurs win right to challenge 2012 stadium decision". BBC News. 24 August 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14646806. 
30. ^ "2012 Stadium Bid Collapsed". soccernet. 11 October 2011. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/967950/west-ham's-olympic-stadium-ownership-deal-collapses?cc=4716. 
31. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur ends 2012 Olympic Stadium legal bid". BBC News. 18 October 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15344523. 

External links

• Tottenham Hotspur Future Plans