The Enfield Society adds its voice to growing calls for Tottenham Hotspur to abandon a planned women’s academy

The Enfield Society has issued a statement urging Tottenham Hotspur to abandon its plans for Whitewebbs Park.

The residents’ group – which has not previously opposed the proposals for a women’s football academy on the park – now states that Spurs “should withdraw gracefully” following the events of the past few months.

This summer, Spurs were defeated at the High Court, with a judge ruling in favour of the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign group and quashing the planning permission issued by Enfield Council under the previous Labour administration.

But the Premier League club subsequently applied to the Court of Appeal for a fresh hearing, signalling its intention to continue fighting – despite the new Conservative-run administration at the council urging Spurs to ditch the Whitewebbs plans entirely.

Last month the club’s chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said that the “immediate focus” is on “improving existing facilities” at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre but added that the “long-term ambition for the women’s team’s base at Whitewebbs is unchanged” and that “current improvements are a temporary requirement, not an alternative to Whitewebbs”.

Last week The Enfield Society issued an update on its own position – for the first time, calling on Spurs to withdraw its plans.

The society’s statement said: “It has hitherto been the view of the society’s management committee that Spurs’ proposals for Whitewebbs were on balance acceptable. This view was based on the previous [Labour] council administration’s clear determination to dispose of part of the estate, and its unwillingness or inability to provide the necessary funding to maintain the estate and the heritage assets in it.

“It was felt that conditional acceptance of Spurs’ plans amounted to making the best of a bad situation, and that the loss of part of the estate was outweighed by the improvements promised for the remainder.”

However, with various developments this summer, The Enfield Society’s view has now shifted.

The statement continued: “The situation has changed and the [Conservative] council now wishes to retain all of the estate as a public asset. In these circumstances, and given the continued level of public opposition to the Spurs proposals, we believe that the result of the recent judicial review should be accepted and that Spurs should withdraw gracefully following the cancellation of its planning permission by the court.

“It is unreasonable to impose further expense on community bodies by prolonging legal proceedings.

“Spurs’ withdrawal would enable the future of the Whitewebbs estate to be considered in the round. In the society’s view this should include retaining the former golf course as open parkland, and a plan for the conservation/restoration as appropriate of Whitewebbs House, the Stable Block, Conduit House and North Lodge.”

The statement also commented on the recent revelations that Tottenham Hotspur had sought to purchase two historic buildings in the local area – Whitewebbs House and Myddelton House.

The Enfield Society statement added: “There is evidence that Spurs wishes to acquire either or both houses. This is unacceptable. Both Whitewebbs House and Myddelton Gardens are in their different ways assets of value to the community and should remain so.

“We do not wish to see the entire Whitewebbs area being swept into some kind of Spurs fiefdom.”

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