Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has taken action to allow nearly 3,000 homes to be built near Tottenham Hotspur's stadium. The Government has put together an expert team to pave the way for the Tottenham development named High Road West.
In 2023 Spurs lost a legal battle against Haringey Council after plans were approved to build 2,929 homes in blocks up to 29 storeys high outside the ground. The council says it will provide a range of public benefits including parks, commercial space, a new library and hundreds of social-rent homes.
Spurs claimed the council failed to lawfully assess the impact of development on the North Tottenham Conservation Area, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). This includes sites where the club has its own housebuilding plans, known as the Goods Yard and The Depot.
The club also claimed council officers had misled Haringey Council planning committee members about extra crowd control “burdens” it would face.
The failed legal challenge was not the only opposition which Haringey Council and developer Lendlease faced. Residents whose homes would be bulldozed to make way for the scheme also spoke out against it, according to the LDRS.
To ensure development gathers pace in High Road West, Ms Rayner in her role as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has earmarked it alongside five other sites across the UK where obstacles have got in the way. Another one of these sites is Billet Road in Redbridge where plans for 1,000 new homes have been disrupted by pollution concerns due to much of the area being on a former landfill site.
On all six sites, which already have approval, the government will tackle specific problems to unlock 12,000 new homes.
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said: "We’ve rolled up our sleeves and are breaking down the barriers which stop us from building the houses to buy and rent that families and young people need, helping to speed up the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes already.
"We are continuing to take decisive action through our New Homes Accelerator to speed up the delivery of homes, meet our stretching 1.5 million homes target through the Plan for Change, and get spades in the ground to turn the tide on the housing crisis."
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he is pleased the government is working with London boroughs to unlock housebuilding. He added: "I’m determined to use all the powers at my disposal to build the homes Londoners need and get Britain building again.
“I look forward to working with Ministers on the action and investment needed to accelerate the delivery of new homes as we continue building a better, fairer London for everyone.”