Tottenham get planning permission for new ground

REUTERS – Tottenham Hotspur’s revised plans for a new 61,000-seater stadium have been given the green light by the local council with the Premier League club hoping to be playing in it from the start of the 2018-19 season.

The stadium, costing around 400 million pounds ($598 million) will be built adjacent to the north London club’s present White Hart Lane ground where they have been since 1899.

“This marks yet another milestone in what has been a long and often difficult path,” chairman Daniel Levy, who first announced plans for the club to move to a new stadium in 2008, said on the club’s website on Thursday.

“We are grateful to all those who expressed their support for the scheme. It is crucial that we now clear the final steps in the legal process. The application is due to be considered by the Mayor early next week.

“This new scheme carries enormous public benefits and will play a key role in kick-starting place change, bringing exceptional opportunities for the local community and wider stakeholders.

“We are very proud to be part of this important step forward for an area that has been our home for more than 130 years and where we shall continue to live and play our part.”

Tottenham’s present capacity is only 36,000, meaning they struggle to compete in terms of match-day revenue with local rivals Arsenal, who moved out of their historic Highbury home to the 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium 2006.

In 2010, Levy even registered Tottenham’s interest in moving to the London Olympic Stadium, challenging a decision that will see London rivals West Ham United move there from next season.

Staying close to the club’s roots was the preferred option, however, and Tottenham’s new stadium will become the largest home ground in London and will featuring a 17,000-capacity single tier end — the biggest of its kind in Britain.

The original plan was for a 56,000-capacity stadium.

Tottenham’s new ground will be designed to incorporate U.S. National Football League (NFL) games, with a secondary pitch beneath a fully-retractable playing surface.

There will also be a range of leisure facilities within the new development including a cinema and a hotel and 579 affordable homes.

($1 = 0.6688 pounds)

(Writing by Martyn Herman; Editing by John O’Brien)