The football club’s revised housing plans for twin sites in Tottenham were approved by Haringey Council’s planning committee for the first time, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

How the 32-storey towers would look from White Hart Lane (credit F3 Architects) — How the towers would look from White Hart Lane (credit F3 Architects)

Tottenham Hotspur’s revised scheme to build tower blocks up to 32 storeys high near its stadium in Tottenham High Road has been approved by councillors.

The Premier League football club has won permission to build 844 homes at two adjoining sites known as The Depot, in Tottenham High Road, and Goods Yard, in White Hart Lane.

Spurs’ plans for an 867-home scheme at the sites were refused by Haringey Council’s planning subcommittee in November 2021 after members ruled it would harm views and heritage assets while failing to provide enough publicly accessible open space.

But a government planning inspector overturned the committee’s decision and approved the scheme following an appeal, ruling that the development would cause a “low level” of harm that would be outweighed by “substantial public benefits”.

Revised plans to build 844 homes in blocks up to 32 storeys were presented to a meeting of the council’s planning committee on Tuesday (18th). Other changes included upping the family housing mix from 17% to 20% and providing second staircases and extra lifts in tower blocks higher than 30 metres.

The development will provide 99 “low cost” rented homes and 193 shared ownership homes, with affordable units making up 35% of the overall scheme. The low-cost homes will be made available at London Affordable Rent levels, although the council has the option to purchase the first 61 for social rent.

Entrance to the Goods Yard site in White Hart Lane

Despite the planning inspector’s approval of the higher-density scheme, councillors raised several concerns over the revised plans.

Under questioning from the committee over the impact of the development on Brook House Primary School in Tottenham High Road, council planning chiefs said measures would be put in place to reduce the “short-term disruption” caused by building works. In the long term, they added, the school would benefit from “shared facilities” such as a new games area and a reduction in road traffic.

Labour councillor John Bevan said the proportion of dual-aspect flats was “really appalling” and “one of the lowest figures” he had seen.

Emine Ibrahim, another Labour member, asked what proportion of the affordable units would be single-aspect homes, which tend to be more at risk of overheating.

In response, Ian Laurence, partner at F3 Architects, said the actual proportion of dual-aspect homes would be 59.6% rather than the 54% stated in the committee report, and the large number of single-aspect units was “predominantly driven by tall buildings”. He added that “detailed assessments” had been undertaken “to ensure there are no overheating issues”.

The development is also set to provide more than 2,000 square metres of commercial space, but plans to demolish the Carbery Enterprise Park mean existing firms will have to be relocated within the development or elsewhere in the borough.

Responding to concerns over the impact on businesses, James Beynon, associate director at planning consultants Quod, said a minimum of 400sqm of floor space would be safeguarded for the reprovision of existing uses “alongside support to help [businesses] relocate elsewhere if that is not possible”.

He added that Tottenham Hotspur’s Northumberland Development Project showed it had a “very strong track record” on the issue.

Following the debate, nine committee members voted to approve the plans and two abstained.

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