One of the problems we’ve faced with regards to the new White Hart Lane or Olympic Stadium argument is mixed messages from all parties. It’s been hard to understand exactly what’s going on from one day to the next. It’s fair to say Spurs haven’t been forthcoming with answers and it’s hard to see how they can be without potentially putting one of their options in jeopardy which is something from a business perspective they’re unlikely to do. It does seem clear however that the board have a preferred option at this present time.
The big sticking point and one of the arguments against staying in Tottenham has been the Section 106 agreement whereby being allowed to develop in the area the developer (Spurs) would have to contribute towards developing the local area too. There have recently been plenty of accusations that Haringey Council haven’t been forthcoming with help for the club until recently when threatened with the possibility of the club moving. Whether this is true or not we only have the following to go by but at least someone is talking to the fans. Make what you will of this:
Lucas Brown, a Spurs fan, wrote to the Haringey Council Leader, Clare Kober asking what they had done to help the club and keep them in the borough. This is her reply:
Dear Lucas
Thank you for your email and concern over the possibility of Spurs moving to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford . Let me make clear that I share your concerns. Any such move would be a hammer blow to North Tottenham and I and Council officers are doing all that we can to make sure that this does not happen.
I am aware of debate amongst Spurs fans over the possibility of the Club moving to Stratford with fans holding mixed feelings. In my view if the Club were to move it would be a sad end to over 100 years of history between the area and the Club. Given the club’s distinct North London roots I doubt many fans will be excited by the prospect of moving to East London .
Can I assure you that Haringey Council has been working hard with Spurs to bring forward proposals to develop a new Stadium at White Hart Lane . The approved scheme at White Hart Lane would provide for the best football facilities in the country. Given the scale of the proposals we have managed to achieve planning approval in record time which compares favourably with other similar developments – the Emirates Stadium took 4 years to achieve planning approval.
I think that it is important that I set the record straight with regards the section 106 agreement that Haringey has negotiated with Spurs. I can confirm that the total agreement is around £15-£16million. Given the scale of the development proposed the section 106 agreement is a relatively small proportion of the predicted £450million cost– around 3.5 per cent. The section 106 agreement would also deliver a number of transport improvements which would help alleviate some of the problems experienced on match days.
The agreement which has been negotiated with Spurs is consistent with developments of this kind. It should also be remembered that if Spurs were to move to the Olympic Stadium their proposals would require them to make a similar section 106 contribution to Newham Council.
There has been quite a lot of inaccurate reporting about the council’s support for Spurs and attached is a fact sheet which we have sent to national, local and specialised media to correct this which I hope you will find useful.
I hope that you can see from my response that I take this issue very seriously. I will continue to work with the Club to achieve what we all want which is for Club to remain in Tottenham, with a state of the art football stadium and spectator facilities as part of a revitalised Tottenham.
Kind regards
Claire Kober
Leader of the Council
Below is the “fact sheet”:
Inaccurate reports have included the claim that the council has dragged its feet. Please read on to see that the reverse is true.
The S106 agreement
- A Section 106 planning agreement is an agreement by the developer to make a financial contribution to offset the impact of the development on the local community (e.g. some funding towards transport and infrastructure improvements).
- The S106 and 278 (which covers some highway improvements) agreements amount to a total of around £15-£16million.
- S106 is a relatively small proportion of the total predicted £450million cost of the development – around 3.5 per cent. Note also that the cost is an investment that will bring returns to THFC
- The higher costs of the Northumberland Park site against Stratford are certainly not solely attributable to this small S106 agreement.
- Such negotiations and agreements are entirely normal and an accepted part of the country’s planning system and a scheme of this scale will always be subject to a planning obligation (s.106 agreement).
- If Tottenham Hotspur were to move to Stratford, they would be required to make an S106/ 278 agreement for any new scheme.
Haringey Council’s support of Spurs’ plans
- Haringey Council has always been committed to keeping Spurs in Haringey. This commitment – which has been embedded in our plans for the borough since the early 1990s, remains.
- Planning officers worked closely with Spurs throughout the planning process.
- The overall planning process took around two years – a relatively short length of time for a scheme of such scale. Plans for Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, for example, took around four years to be passed by Islington Council.
- The council was supportive of Spurs’ offer to TfL of £2million towards Tottenham Hale Station improvements, although TfL had asked for £5.6million.
- Haringey Council has been supportive of many elements of Spurs’ planning application, including the demolition of listed and other nearby buildings, the building of a large supermarket, and the club’s negotiations with the Mayor of London and English Heritage.
- The council has granted in principle support for compulsory purchase orders to make it easier for Spurs to obtain what remaining land they need.
The bigger picture for London:
- Spurs staying in Haringey is good for Tottenham, for Haringey and for London as a whole.
- If Spurs stay at White Hart Lane, three major areas stand to benefit from major investment and regeneration – Tottenham (Northumberland Development Project), Stratford (the Olympic site) and West Ham (the area around Upton Park stadium). If Spurs leave, not just Tottenham will miss out. Their desertion would deprive areas of vital regeneration opportunities and affect the whole of London.
- Losing Spurs would be a hammer blow to the area and to those Tottenham fans who identify strongly with the history they have at White Hart Lane.
- Spurs deliver a number of schemes which benefit the local community, including study support and To Care is To Do and the extremely welcome work of the TH Foundation.
- West Ham’s bid guarantees a sporting legacy for athletics and other sports, as well as football.
- If Spurs were to get the site, their plans for a new stadium would be delayed even further – if they demolish and re-build the stadium, they will have to go through the planning process, and the re-building and would not be able to move until 2015/2016 at the earliest.
Football:
- Spurs leaving would effectively hand North London to Arsenal, destroying decades of history and leaving tens of thousands of fans with no local team.
- While Spurs fans travel from far-and-wide, the team is also widely supported in the local community and the roots of the club’s support are embedded in Tottenham. The wishes of many of these fans are being ignored.
- Spurs say that other clubs have moved stadium without having to change their name. However, many of the examples cited have either not moved since the early 20th century, have moved to within the same area (e.g. Arsenal) or plan to move to a nearby site. A more relevant example would perhaps be Wimbledon’s move to Milton Keynes, and subsequent change of name to MK Dons.
- Moving to east London would be a wholesale change for Tottenham – the club’s name is undoubtedly synonymous with the area.
Nobody for one second suggests councils are always 100% honest and don’t have their own agenda when they talk, but at least it’s something. Some information that has been given to the fans, the people that matter and the people who care about what’s happening at the moment.
What you make of it is up to you. Whether you believe a local council can force a company with a Trademarked name to change that name if they so wish is up to you. Whether you believe it’s fair or not for Spurs to pay 3.5% of the proposed total cost of the NDP to the council for improvements to the local area is up to you. Whether you want to stay in N17 or move to Stratford, at least there is finally some information coming from those involved.
The online petition will be passed to the relevant people soon so if you haven’t already signed it please do so here
Submitted by THFC1882
