Tottenham Hotspur gets green light for training ground despite anger over 'loss of beautiful park' | OneFootball

Enfield Council has approved Tottenham Hotspur's plans to fence off part of Whitewebbs Park to build a new training ground for their women’s team

Tottenham Hotspur have been granted permission to build a new training ground for their women’s team despite campaigners arguing the development will destroy a treasured park.

The football club has been given the green light to fence off a section of Whitewebbs Park in Enfield and build a new women’s academy, with 11 pitches and a new clubhouse.

The plans have been described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” by Spurs striker Bethany England, insisting that the facility will allow the club to compete with the top women's teams, the Enfield Dispatch reported.

But campaigners and Tory councillors have insisted the decision will take away essential public space in the Green Belt.

Sean Wilkinson, who lives 15 minutes from the park and walks his dog there every day, told the Standard: “We are losing access to about half the open land in the park.

“This is public land. It was bought for the people of Enfield back in 1931. What Spurs are offering is doesn’t amount to very much.

“This is all for the benefit of Spurs.”

The north Londoner insisted that the “Spurs fortress of football” was going to destroy a beautiful park.

He continued: “It’s a very popular park. It’s space that is in short supply. The people who actually use the park are going to be barred from it.

“They are going to destroy a beautiful park.”

Spurs will build 11 football pitches as part of a new facility for their women’s team at a beloved park in Enfield

Enfield Council

The site is next door to the Spurs men's training ground and will restore around 23 hectares of historic parkland, council documents show.

The training complex will include a section that will preserve a woodland area and 2,000 trees will be planted at the site.

Campaigners have also insisted that the parkland will be “lost forever” and that around 1,000 people visit the site per week during the winter.

Objectors to the plans included The Woodland Trust, who raised concerns about the potential loss of ancient woodlands.

There were 296 objections sent to Enfield Council, with many comments about the loss of green space and the impact on wildlife in the area.

An 18-hole golf course at Whitewebbs Park shut down in 2021 and the 240-acre site was reclaimed by nature and rewilded.

The grasslands are now regularly enjoyed by the local community and last year 35 species of bees and wasps were counted at the site, as well as green woodpeckers, rabbits and grass snakes - campaigner Benny Hawksbee previously told the Standard.

The park is next door to Capel Manor College, where beavers were reintroduced to the capital for the first time in more than 400 years after being hunted to extinction - and have since enjoyed a baby boom.

Last year campaigners challenged Enfield Council in the High Court over the decision to lease a section of the park to Spurs but lost their case.

Seven Labour councillors voted in favour of the plans with four conservative councillors voting against it at an Enfield planning committee on Tuesday night.

A Spurs spokesperson told the Standard: “We are delighted that Enfield Council’s Planning Committee has voted to approve our proposals. This is a special site and one we know extremely well being based next door. Our proposals will secure its future with a green use and ensure it remains an open and inclusive place for local people to enjoy.

“We shall improve local access to nature and habitats, provide new facilities for visitors, community groups, and sports clubs, and put Enfield on the map as a champion of the Women’s and Girls’ game with a best-in-class Academy.