Tottenham women's green belt plan gets green light
James W Kelly
BBC News
Tottenham Hotspur have been given the go-ahead to build a new training ground by City Hall, despite calls by campaigners seeking to save a park.
The football club plans to fence off a section of Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, north London, and build a new women's academy, with 11 pitches and a new clubhouse.
A City Hall spokesperson said "while the proposal represents inappropriate development on the green belt, very special circumstances have been demonstrated".
Campaigners aiming to save the park said they were disappointed in the decision.
Enfield Council approved the plans in February despite 296 objections, many of which were related to the loss of green space and impact on local wildlife.
The decision was referred to the mayor because the proposed site falls into green belt land.
It did not give Sir Sadiq Khan, or his deputy, powers to act as the planning authority and options were limited to either allowing Enfield Council's draft decision to grant permission to proceed unchanged, or directing Enfield Council to refuse the application.
The main reason given for not blocking the development was that special circumstances had been demonstrated, and a package of public benefits had been secured.
These factors were deemed to outweigh any harm caused by the development.
The academy's location, adjacent to the existing men's facility, would allow for approximately 11,000 sq m (2.7 acres) of facilities to be shared, reducing new building work and carbon emissions compared to isolated sites.
Public benefits include a community engagement plan for local football training for around 36,700 people annually, and free transport to community training for schools.
The Guardians of Whitewebbs, a local ecology group which opposed the Spurs development, called the public benefits "paltry" and that the decision "flies in the face of common sense".
It argued the development represented a loss of public and biodiverse green space - specifically the loss of about 40 acres of re-wilded grassland and the felling of 207 trees.
"Football pitches can in no way make up for the permanent loss and degradation of green space."
The leader of Enfield Council, Ergin Erbil, said he was pleased to see the "exciting vision" for Whitewebbs Park move forward.
The Guardians of Whitewebbs said they remain resolute and "are determined to explore all avenues for safeguarding the park for all".