Enfield Dispatch

The judicial review verdict comes after a change of leadership at Enfield Council, which now opposes the Spurs plans for a training centre on the park, reports James Cracknell

Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to build on Whitwebbs Park have likely been dealt a fatal blow after a judge quashed the planning permission previously granted by Enfield Council.

Following a two-day judicial review in June which the council decided not to defend after the Conservatives took power in May, the judge has issued a ruling in which he quashes the decision under the previous Labour administration to approve the plans for a women’s and girls’ training centre on the park.

The case had been brought by the Guardians of Whitewebbs local campaign group, which argued at the High Court that the decision to award planning permission to Spurs last year had been unlawful. Their case was also backed by Dame Judi Dench.

In a statement this morning (Monday 27th), Alessandro Georgiou said: “This new administration pledged to protect Whitewebbs Park from unacceptable development and ensure it remains accessible for local residents and communities to enjoy. That is why we withdrew from defending this Judicial Review, as such a defence would not have been in the best interests of residents across the borough.

“We are delighted that the High Court has allowed this judicial review and quashed the planning permission granted for the proposed training academy at Whitewebbs Park.

“We said we would protect Whitewebbs Park from this unacceptable proposal and we will now move forward with plans that reflect the needs of the local community and also preserve and protect this important area of Enfield.”

The Dispatch understands that the council now intends to work closely with Tottenham Hotspur to find an alternative site in the borough for the women’s and girls’ training academy.

In a statement, Tottenham Hotspur said: “We are disappointed by today’s High Court judgment concerning the planning permission for our proposed Women’s and Girls’ Training Centre at Whitewebbs.

“The court’s decision concerns the legal process followed by Enfield Council in granting planning permission, rather than the planning merits of the proposed development itself.

“We continue to believe the proposals would deliver significant benefits for Enfield by safeguarding Whitewebbs as a green space, improving access to nature, restoring important heritage assets, creating new facilities for local residents, community groups and sports clubs whilst delivering a lasting legacy for women’s and girls’ sport.

“The development would create a world-leading Women’s and Girls’ Training Centre, helping to establish Enfield as a leading destination for the women’s and girls’ game. Alongside elite facilities, it would create new opportunities for girls across the borough to play and develop through expanded coaching, education and community programmes, while providing a visible pathway from grassroots football to the very highest levels of the game.

“We remain committed to Enfield and to continuing the work we have undertaken in the borough for many years through investment in sport, education and community programmes. We will now consider the judgement carefully and determine our next steps.”

This is a breaking news story – further updates and reaction will be added as it arrives

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The judicial review case went ahead despite Enfield Council choosing not to make any legal defence of its decision to award planning permission last year, reports James Cracknell

The fate of Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to build a training facility on Whitewebbs Park rests in the hands of a judge who spent two days at the High Court this week hearing legal arguments for and against the decision to approve the scheme.

In what was the second time in as many years that the future of Whitewebbs was debated at the High Court, on this occasion the judicial review case abnormally proceeded without any legal defence being put forward by Enfield Council, which had awarded the Premier League club planning permission for the women’s training centre last year.

That’s because the council recently underwent a political transition from the previous Labour leadership – which fully backed the controversial scheme proposed on the park’s former golf course – and the new minority Conservative administration which won election last month on a key pledge to “save Whitewebbs” from development.

Instead of the council’s legal defence, the court instead heard extensive arguments made by a barrister from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) – with Spurs retaining the right to representation at the hearing thanks to having ‘interested party’ status for the hearing.

The judicial review began with lawyers instructed by the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign group putting forward their five ‘grounds’ for the case, essentially arguing that the decision to grant planning permission had been made unlawfully.

The first ground was the claim the council had failed to disclose to councillors the views of a professional ecologist who had raised “serious concerns” about the Whitewebbs Park plans, allegedly causing the planning committee to be “misled”.

The second and third grounds concerned alleged failures to represent or interpret the council’s own planning policies, while the fourth argued the civic centre “erred in its consideration of impacts on the openness of the Green Belt”.

The fifth and final ground for the case put forward by the claimant was the accusation the council had been “biased” in favour of THFC thanks to the hospitality and gifts given to key people at the council by the football club.

Written submissions from the Guardians of Whitewebbs legal team, led by Jenny Wigley KC, revealed that Guardians of Whitewebbs campaigner Sam Tillbrook had used transparency laws to obtain council documents revealing that Giles Sutton – instructed to provide ecological advice for the council in respect of the planning application – had warned in November 2024 that estimates for biological net gain (BNG) made by THFC in its planning application resulted from an “incorrect” classification of the park’s woodland.

Sutton wrote: “In my opinion if the council were to accept this their decision could be easily challenged.”

However, Wigley argued that the council officers’ report prepared in advance of the planning committee meeting on 11th February 2025 – which ultimately resulted in the scheme being voted through by Labour councillors – failed to explain or even mention Sutton’s “serious concerns about [Tottenham Hotspur’s] BNG calculations, and the fact that the council’s own ecologist agreed with objectors on this key issue”.

Instead, the officer’s report stated there was “no objection” from the council’s ecologist, resulting in the planning committee being “materially misled by planning officers”.

“If objectors and committee members had known about the dispute between the council’s own ecology experts, plainly this could have made a difference to the outcome,” Wigley argued.

In response, THFC barrister James Maurici KC explained that there was “extra ecological work” conducted as a result of Sutton’s concerns and that he had ultimately been “satisfied” by the results, with Maurici noting in particular that a reptile survey had found “just a single record of a common lizard” on the site.

“There were strongly held professional views [by THFC] that there was no need to do these surveys,” Maurici told the court. “But in the end they were done, and Mr Sutton was satisfied.”

It was later pointed out by Alex Shattock, another barrister representing Guardians of Whitewebbs, that the common lizard is a protected species under UK law.

The second ground for the case saw the claimant argue that the council had “asked the wrong question” regarding one of its own policies, centred around the impact of the planning application on the local landscape.

“In effect, the officers’ report reversed the proper application [of the policy], from asking whether it would net improve the area of special character to asking whether it would not harm it.”

Maurici rejected this argument as “a classic case of excessive legalism” and that the “landscape character was considered very carefully in the officer report”.

He added that “the ultimate conclusion on landscape impact was that in ten years [the development] would actually be beneficial overall” thanks to “a huge number of positive aspects of these proposals, which were weighed up carefully by the committee members”.

The third ground for the judicial review claimed that the council’s planning report “failed properly to understand and/or apply” a policy that “requires refusal of any planning application that fails to conserve and enhance the special interest, significance or setting of a heritage asset”.

On this point the presiding judge in the case, Sir Timothy Kerr, noted that while the overall impact of the development was assessed by the council to be positive in broad terms, “the officers [in their report] make no bones about there being very high levels of harm to the park”.

Maurici countered: “I say the policy itself does not require a silo approach. The officers were entitled to take an overall view on heritage and overall it was positive. That is a legal judgement.”

The fourth ground for the claimant’s case concerned the council’s approach to considering the “openness of the Green Belt” on which the Guardians of Whitewebbs claimed the civic centre had “erred”.

They argued: “With the council accepting that the planning application entails the permanent loss of open space, it is difficult to understand how it could equally take the view that the replacement of open space with (largely) private football pitches and associated infrastructure would not impact on the openness of the Green Belt at all.”

Defending THFC on this point, Maurici explained to the court that “a lot of land in the Green Belt is privately owned” and that it was very common for there to be no public access to such land.

In this context, he argued, “openness is different from and not connected to whether there is public access or not”.

The fifth and final ground for the case – that “the fair-minded and informed observer would conclude that there was a real possibility the council in granting permission was biased” – was fiercely debated in the courtroom on the second day of the judicial review.

Guardians of Whitewebbs highlighted several examples of hospitality being offered and accepted by senior officers and councillors in the months immediately following the committee meeting which voted to grant permission for THFC’s Whitewebbs training centre.

This included the council’s chief executive Ian Davis and his interim successor Perry Scott meeting then-Spurs chairman Daniel Levy for a “working lunch” on 11th March 2025; Davis and a guest being gifted director’s box seats to a rugby match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 22nd March; and then-council leader Ergin Erbil attending both a “charity legends” match on 23rd March and accepting a “VIP invitation” for the Europa League trophy parade on 15th May.

However, in defence of these gifts, Maurici pointed out that it was normal for a local authority to have a close working relationship with an organisation that already operated in the borough.

Arguing that THFC was “different to the ordinary developer” Maurici said: “The reason for that is the club’s activities spread into Enfield and that necessitates working with the council.

“They are one of the largest private sector employers in Enfield.”

Maurici also noted that “none of the offers of hospitality were made to members of the planning committee” nor to “officers charged with writing the [planning] report”.

However, after Maurici attempted to downplay the financial value of the hospitality gifts offered to Davis and Cllr Erbil, Mr Justice Kerr pointed out there was a “long waiting list” for season tickets at Spurs and that being invited to the director’s box was “difficult to monetise” because such an experience was unavailable to the general public.

Shattock added that where there was such a “close working relationship” between a council and a planning applicant “it calls for even clearer transparency”.

The claim of “bias” was also linked by the claimant to the decision not to include Sutton’s ecological advice in the council officers’ report, arguing that “the council appeared to be predisposed towards rejecting it”.

This was strongly refuted by Maurici.

In her final arguments at the end of the two-day case, Wigley hammered home the point about Sutton’s concerns being sidelined.

“We just simply don’t know – if they [the planning committee] had been given clear, firm and transparent information on the expert lack of consensus – how they would have weighed the balance.”

The judge’s written verdict on the case is not expected to be published for several weeks.

Two years ago, a judge who heard a separate judicial review case brought by Friends of Whitewebbs Park chair Sean Wilkinson against the council’s decision to award a 25-year lease to THFC eventually ruled in the council’s favour.

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The new minority Conservative administration has vowed to block the plans for a women’s training centre on the park, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter, and James Cracknell

The newly-elected leader of Enfield Council has vowed to stop Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) building a women’s training facility on Whitewebbs Park.

At this week’s annual council meeting on Wednesday (28th), the leader of the new minority Conservative administration, Alessandro Georgiou, said he would refuse to sign a lease to the Premier League football club in order to preserve Whitewebbs “for the enjoyment of future generations”.

Planning permission for a new women’s and girls’ football academy had been granted last year by the previous Labour administration, with THFC proposing to build on a 16-hectare area of the park’s former golf course – with large fences surrounding it.

However, former council leader and Spurs fan Ergin Erbil failed to formally sign off on a 25-year lease of the park to THFC prior to this month’s election, when Labour lost their majority.

This gave the Conservatives an opportunity to block the plans, as they had vowed to do in their election manifesto.

THFC have been approached regarding the new council leader’s announcement, but the North London club declined to comment.

The lease, had it been signed, would have been worth £2million to the council.

Earlier this year, actor Dame Judi Dench backed the campaign against Spurs’ development at Whitewebbs, saying it was “essential” to “protect people’s access to nature”.

Local campaign group Guardians of Whitewebbs had also launched a legal challenge against the council’s decision to grant planning permission, with a judicial review scheduled to take place at the High Court on 24th-25th June. It’s not yet been confirmed whether this case will still be going ahead, but given the council’s new leadership it seems unlikely.

The Conservatives took minority control of the council this week after the Greens abstained on the vote over the election of Cllr Georgiou as council leader, allowing the 31 Tory councillors to defeat Labour’s 27.

Both groups campaigned to protect Enfield’s green spaces in the election and are united in their determination to prevent new development on the borough’s Green Belt. This includes the training facilities planned for Whitewebbs Park.

It also includes plans by the Labour-led government to potentially build up to 21,000 homes on large areas of Green Belt land in Crews Hill and ‘Chase Park’, to the borough’s north. In one of his first actions as leader, Cllr Georgiou wrote to the government saying the council would be withdrawing its interest in the scheme.

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Labour council leader Ergin Erbil accepted five tickets to a legends match shortly after Tottenham Hotspur won planning approval for its training centre at Whitewebbs, reports James Cracknell

Enfield Council has dismissed a complaint over freebies handed to leader Ergin Erbil by Tottenham Hotspur shortly after the Premier League club won approval for its plans at Whitewebbs.

Last year Cllr Erbil accepted free tickets from Spurs in the months immediately following the decision by the council’s planning committee – which he does not sit on – to approve the club’s plans for a women’s and girls’ training centre at Whitewebbs Park.

The freebies were five tickets to a legend’s match in March 2025 and an invitation to join the victory parade in May following Spurs’ victory in the Europa League Final.

After the news of these gifts being declared by Cllr Erbil, Sam Gracie Tilbrook – from the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign group which aims to stop Spurs building on the park – filed an official complaint with the council, alleging the freebies breached the members’ code of conduct.

The complaint was investigated by a governance advisor at the council, who issued his final complaint report last week following sign-off by the council’s monitoring officer and director of legal and governance, Terry Osborne.

The report, seen by the Dispatch, dismisses the complaint against Cllr Erbil. It states: “I find that Cllr Erbil declared the hospitality to the monitoring officer before accepting it and that acceptance of the hospitality was not a breach of the code in either instance.

“The code of conduct does not prohibit the acceptance of gifts and hospitality, and I find that advice was sought and followed and that the hospitality was properly recorded. I also find that it was not excessive in its likely value.”

Regarding the decision to approve the planning application from Tottenham Hotspur in the week’s prior to Cllr Erbil being offered and then accepting his freebies by the club, the report states: “Cllr Erbil was not a member of the planning committee and was not present at the meeting. In any event, the meeting took place before the events took place and before the hospitality was offered and accepted.

“I note that the planning permission was not issued until 22 July 2025, but I find that Cllr Erbil was not involved in the issuing of the permission and the permission was issued in accordance with the decision of the earlier committee meeting.”

The Guardians of Whitewebbs group is currently preparing for a judicial review challenge against the council’s decision to grant planning permission to Spurs. The case will be heard at the High Court in June.

Responding to the rejection of his complaint over Cllr Erbil’s freebies, Sam said: “Myself and the wider community perceive a bias and unfairness in relation to this and other matters which lends to a distrust of council processes and undermines faith in local democracy.”

Sam pointed to a part of the complaint report which suggests a council guidance note on gifts and hospitality received by councillors had “fallen into disuse” and, even though the complaint was still assessed against this guidance, the monitoring officer was now recommending that “the guidance referred to by the complainant should be revised and re-issued or withdrawn completely if it serves no useful purpose” and that this would be considered “in the coming months”.

Sam has now submitted an additional complaint, this time to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Cllr Erbil is the third successive Labour leader of the council to have accepted some kind of free ticket or hospitality gift from Spurs, going back over a decade, with Doug Taylor and Nesil Caliskan also having done so during their periods in charge from 2010-2018 and 2018-2024 respectively.

Asked to comment at the time of his first football freebie being revealed by the Dispatch last year, Cllr Erbil denied that Spurs had “purchased influence” with the council by handing out free gifts and added: “I acted transparently and in good faith, and I reject the idea that attending a charity event with other community stakeholders compromises my integrity.”

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Football club says the 15-metre light columns are necessary for Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre to host European youth fixtures this season, reports James Cracknell

New floodlights installed at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre have been slammed as “devastating” for wildlife and “blinding” for visitors at Forty Hall.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) recently installed the six new floodlights without prior planning permission – but is now seeking retrospective approval from Enfield Council.

The Premier League club states that the 15-metre floodlights are needed in order to host European youth fixtures at the training ground this season, following qualification for the Champions League.

As well as the floodlights, the club has installed a new stand overlooking one of its pitches, which lies adjacent to both Forty Hall Estate and Myddelton House Gardens.

While the training ground already has floodlights to illuminate some of its other pitches, the new ones are brighter, as they must comply with UEFA regulations for competitive games.

Sam Tillbrook, an Enfield resident and member of the Guardians of Whitewebbs group which has been campaigning against the new Spurs women’s academy at Whitewebbs Park, has objected to the floodlights after being “shocked” to see them on a recent visit to Forty Hall.

Forty Hall often hosts evening events, so public access sometimes remains even after dark. The floodlights are also needed during daylight hours on cloudy days.

In his objection to the council, which will shortly decide the THFC planning application, Sam wrote: “I was shocked to walk into Forty Hall Estate on 14th November and to be struck by industrial-size, blinding, telescopic floodlights, which not only completely detracted from the heritage setting, but must surely also be devastating to bats, other nocturnal wildlife and most animals in general.

“It actually looks rather dystopian, and I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. That’s quite something, considering I was standing nearly 800 metres away from the floodlights. I note that in the planning application’s ‘lighting assessment’, it mentioned that the floodlights emit 134,000 lumens, which is an extreme level of brightness.”

He added: “I cannot object more strongly to this application, and very much trust Enfield Council will reject it, and will fine the applicant for their outrageous actions.”

THFC states in its planning application that the floodlights are “temporary” and will be removed after 31st March 2026 – suggesting the club is not planning on qualifying for the Champions League again in 2026/27.

It also states the training centre pitch “sits within a viewing corridor from Forty Hall” but that “it is screened by an established area of trees which limit any views” of the pitch where the floodlights have been installed. Photographs of the floodlights, however, contradict this statement.

In a cover letter to the council dated 7th October, James Beynon, director of THFC’s planning consultants Quod, said: “UEFA impose strict requirements for facilities hosting youth league matches and THFC do not currently have a facility that can satisfy all of these.

“The U19 team usually play at the training centre and will continue to do so for UEFA matches […] it is not feasible to play the games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium given that the first team game is scheduled for later the same day.”

Beynon adds: “Floodlights would only be used when strictly necessary and, in the event of poor lighting or a later kick off, they would not be used beyond the training centre’s 8.30pm restriction.”

For its planning application, consultancy firm EDP Environmental conducted a lighting assessment on behalf of Tottenham Hotspur, which states: “The proposed lighting solution will illuminate the pitch to the required standard […] any light spill will be largely contained within the immediate area around Pitch A2.

“There will be minimal light spill to the adjoining pitches and other surrounding areas.”

THFC was approached for comment but did not respond. The council was also approached for comment.

Find out more about the floodlights via the council’s planning portal using reference number 25/03473/FUL.

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Campaigners have expressed their disappointment as decision paves way for 16 hectares of parkland to be enclosed by the Premier League club

The office of Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has approved a controversial plan by Tottenham Hotspur to fence off part of Whitewebbs Park and build a women’s football academy – despite admitting it represents “inappropriate” development.

The scheme – already approved by Enfield Council’s planning committee in February – was automatically referred to City Hall for final approval because the park falls within the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Khan had been urged by Conservative councillors in Whitewebbs ward as well as several hundred local residents to use his mayoral powers to overturn the council planning committee’s decision, as they argued that a private company fencing off of a public park would set an unwanted precedent.

However, last night (Monday 14th) City Hall announced the decision to approve planning permission for the women’s and girls’ football academy. A mayoral spokesperson said: “On 14th July 2025 the deputy mayor for planning and regeneration, acting under delegated authority [of Khan], resolved to allow Enfield Council to determine the application for a women’s and girls’ football academy at Whitewebbs Park itself.

“In making his decision on the stage two referral, the deputy mayor took account of all representations received, in addition to the GLA [Greater London Authority] officers’ detailed assessment of the proposal and strategic planning issues.

“As part of the latter, consideration was given to the fact that while the proposal represents inappropriate development on the Green Belt, very special circumstances have been demonstrated and a package of public benefits secured which outweigh the harm.”

‘Save Whitewebbs’ campaigners held a protest outside City Hall last night just prior to the decision being announced.

Following the verdict, the Guardians of Whitewebbs group said in a statement: “We are sincerely disappointed that the mayor has not seen fit to refuse the development of our beloved local park. The development flies in the face of common sense, when it entails the loss of a huge section of much-needed public space and the destruction of biodiverse parkland.

“Our objections to the development were carefully set out and we believe that it will entail a staggering loss to Green Belt open land that ought to have been protected with site of importance for nature conservation status. The paltry public ‘offering’ constituted by football pitches can in no way make up for the permanent loss and degradation of green space.

“Nevertheless, the Guardians of Whitewebbs remain resolute and determined to explore all avenues for safeguarding the park for all. We will be announcing an open meeting shortly for all concerned by the news to learn about our next steps. Please stay up to data via our Instagram, newsletter and WhatsApp groups.”

Sean Wilkinson, the chair of the Friends of Whitewebbs Park group who last year led an unsuccessful legal challenge against the council’s decision to issue a 25-year lease to Spurs for the former Whitewebbs Parks Golf Course, told the Dispatch today (Tuesday 15th): “Obviously we are very disappointed, and I can’t understand how the mayor is prepared to give up public space in the Green Belt for a semi-industrial project.

“I think it shows a total disregard of public open space for the people of London […] the public benefits of the scheme have been grossly exaggerated.”

As part of its plans, Tottenham Hotspur FC has pledged to run a ten-year community outreach programme, including 36,700 hours of football activities and a commitment to reach deprived parts of the borough.

The club today declined to comment on City Hall’s decision.

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The legends match attended by the council leader took place 40 days after Tottenham Hotspur won approval for its women’s academy at Whitewebbs Park

Enfield Council leader Ergin Erbil has said he accepted free Tottenham Hotspur tickets “in good faith”.

According to his own gifts and hospitalities register, the leader was given five free tickets to watch a Spurs vs AC Milan legends fixture by Tottenham Hotspur FC Foundation, the Premier League club’s charitable arm, on 23rd March this year.

It came just over a month after the council’s planning committee – which Cllr Erbil does not control – voted to approve Tottenham Hotspur’s controversial application for a women’s and girls’ academy at Whitewebbs Park.

However, at the February committee meeting which voted to approve the plans, committee chair Mahym Bedekova also declared that she’d received a free Spurs match ticket, prompting complaints from opposition Conservative councillors.

The council is set to enter into a 25-year lease with Spurs for an area equating roughly to half of the total park, with a third of this area being fenced off for the academy. The deal is worth around £2million to the civic centre, although London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan still needs to give his approval before the contract is signed.

Cllr Erbil is now the third successive Labour leader of the council to have accepted some kind of free ticket or hospitality gift from Spurs, going back over a decade, with Doug Taylor and Nesil Caliskan also having done so during their periods in charge from 2010-2018 and 2018-2024 respectively.

In 2021, Cllr Caliskan denied having any “bias” towards Spurs as a result of the freebies she had received a year earlier, shortly before the council deadline for bids to obtain the lease of Whitewebbs Park Golf Course, eventually awarded to Tottenham Hotspur.

Defending his own decision to accept a Spurs freebie, Cllr Erbil said: “The hospitality in question took place on 23rd March as part of a long-standing charity football event run by Spurs. I was seated with a wide mix of community stakeholders. I paid for my own beer and received no personal benefit beyond the invitation itself, which I declared in line with council rules. I completely reject the idea that this was done to try and influence any council decisions.

“As leader of the council, I do not and cannot sit on the planning committee or licensing committee. I therefore play no role in determining planning applications and have no decision-making power over any licensing matters either. That is as it should be – these processes are independent and governed by strict procedures.”

Cllr Erbil also denied that Spurs had “purchased influence” with the council by handing out free gifts and added: “I acted transparently and in good faith, and I reject the idea that attending a charity event with other community stakeholders compromises my integrity.”

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Recent national media reports had suggested Tottenham Hotspur was planning a move to acquire the historic building’s lease, but the club denies this

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has said that “nothing is happening” regarding Whitewebbs House amid speculation around the building’s future.

Following the controversial felling of an ancient oak tree by Toby Carvery, the current occupants of the 18th Century building within Whitewebbs Park, The Guardian revealed last month that Spurs “had entered into an option arrangement” for the site with Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) plc, the pub company which operates Toby Carvery.

Multiple national media reports of the ancient oak felling also highlighted the financial ties between the football club’s owners Enic and M&B, with both companies sharing the same largest shareholder, the family trust of businessman Joe Lewis, while Josh Levy, son of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, sits on the board of M&B.

Even though M&B admitted felling the 450-year-old Whitewebbs oak, citing health and safety grounds, the financial and personal ties between the two companies led many to speculate online over whether Tottenham Hotspur had any involvement.

In response to The Guardian article, a Spurs spokesperson said it was “ridiculous” to suggest the tree was felled to make the land easier to develop.

This week, the Dispatch asked the Premier League club to simply confirm or deny whether it was intending to acquire the lease on Whitewebbs House.

A spokesperson responded: “We have nothing to say on this as nothing is happening.”

The ancient oak tree was situated on the edge of the car park for the existing Toby Carvery on land leased to M&B by Enfield Council. Because the council’s permission had not been sought for the felling, however, the civic centre has since said it is considering legal action against the company, while also issuing emergency tree preservation orders (TPOs) for the remaining trees across the site.

Tottenham Hotspur won planning approval from the council’s planning committee in February for its contentious women’s and girls’ football academy at Whitewebbs Park on land immediately adjacent to Whitewebbs House.

Some of the speculation around the felled tree concerned a previously-proposed access road being built through Whitewebbs Wood, however this road did not run through the area of the ancient oak tree and, in any case, councillors at February’s committee voted to remove the access road from the Spurs plans.

Meanwhile, a petition launched via Change.org demanding “justice for the Whitewebbs oak” is now nearing 50,000 signatures.

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Enfield Council’s planning committee approved the plans last month but both the London mayor and deputy prime minister still hold the power to overturn decision

Councillors representing Whitewebbs have written to both the London mayor and deputy prime minister to request they “call in” Tottenham Hotspur’s plans for a women’s football academy.

For certain types of application Sir Sadiq Khan has the power to review and potentially refuse schemes, even if they have been approved by the relevant borough council’s planning committee – as happened last month with the controversial Whitewebbs Park development.

Because Whitewebbs Park is part of London’s Metropolitan Green Belt, it falls within the mayor’s scope, and three Conservative councillors representing the ward have now written to Khan to urge him to call it in.

The trio – Reece Fox, Hannah Dyson and David Skelton – have also written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, whose Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) also holds the power to review significant planning applications, deemed to have potentially national interest, with a similar request.

The councillors argue that the fencing off of a public park by a private company would set an unwanted precedent in London and beyond.

In their letters to Khan and Rayner, they write: “We believe that the proposal violates the council’s responsibility (in trust) to ensure that the park remains open for all residents, goes against the London Plan in both spirit and letter, and presupposes both the planning inspector’s deliberations about the Enfield Local Plan, as well as the London-wide review of the Green Belt by the mayor.

“Since these proposals were formally announced in 2021, local residents in Enfield have been fighting to stop Enfield Council from selling over half of Whitewebbs Park to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

“On every occasion that they have been given an opportunity to voice their opinion, residents have made clear their strong opposition to the development.

“You have the power to protect this park and indeed have the power to announce clear protections for public parks. This is an opportunity to state that parks must remain”preserved for public use. If this can happen to Whitewebbs Park, it can happen anywhere.”

The Dispatch has approached both the mayor’s office at City Hall and MHCLG but both responded to say that they had not yet had a chance to look at the planning application.

A decision from either office may take some time as the details of the final conditions set to be attached to the Tottenham Hotspur planning application – including changes to the access road for the site that the committee requested at last month’s meeting – have yet to be published.

At the meeting, Spurs captain Bethany England, whose £250,000 signing broke the domestic transfer record for women’s football, hailed the women’s academy scheme as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”.

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Midfielder Lucas Bergvall visited Galliard Primary School as part of Tottenham Hotspur’s NextGen programme

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall has visited a primary school in Edmonton to share some of his skills with local children.

The Swedish midfielder dropped in on a session for around 30 children between the ages of ten and eleven at Galliard Primary School as part of the Premier League club’s NextGen programme, delivered by the club’s football development team.

The NexGen programme provides free opportunities for aspiring young players to enhance their skills and confidence based on the “philosophy and coaching methodology” of Tottenham Hotspur, who currently sit 13th in the league table.

The programme, which launched in January 2023, is delivered in some of the areas of greatest socio-economic deprivation in London.

Lucas said: “It was great to see all the kids enjoying the activities at the school. It reminds of my childhood growing up in Sweden, having opportunities to play football with my friends and having fun, learning new stuff every day.”

After the session Galliard pupil Michael, aged ten, said: “I am a massive Spurs fan, so this was a very special day for me. I was so excited when he arrived.”

Donny Campaniello, NextGen co-ordinator at Tottenham Hotspur, said: “It was a pleasure to have Lucas attend the session today and see his commitment to supporting development pathways for aspiring young footballers in our community. He was also able to provide a fascinating insight into his own journey to becoming a professional footballer.

“Our NextGen programme provides all players opportunities to progress into the club’s overarching player development programmes and is a fantastic platform for those who are seeking a clear route into football, whatever their level. Our mission is to support individual players at each step of their football journey.”

Find out more:

Visit tottenhamhotspur.com/the-club/football-development

No news is bad news

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