微密圈

A change of use application for part of the green belt at a park in north London has been approved paving the way for Tottenham Hotspur to build a training centre for its women鈥檚 team.

The approval, issued by City Hall, follows the planning permission granted by Enfield council in February this year.

More than 290 objections were lodged about the plans for Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, with concerns centred on the loss of grassland, mature trees and access to open space.

City Hall confirmed that 鈥渨hile 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鈥�. This ruling means Enfield council鈥檚 original decision can now proceed without alteration.

The 16ha development site was formerly part of a municipal golf course and lies adjacent to Spurs鈥� existing men鈥檚 training facility. The scheme is intended to support the expansion of the women鈥檚 and girls鈥� football programme and provide a dedicated base for both academy and first-team operations.

Designed by F3 Architects, which is also behind plans for a cluster of towers around Spurs鈥� north London stadium, the centre will include changing rooms, classrooms, offices and medical facilities. A new gatehouse and grounds maintenance building are also proposed.

The training campus will accommodate seven full-size grass pitches, two half-size pitches and one artificial surface pitch. One grass pitch and the artificial pitch will be floodlit.

The wider application development includes the refurbishment of the southern clubhouse to provide a public caf茅, WCs and flexible community space, the restoration of Whitewebbs Pond, and a significant landscape scheme including over 2,000 new trees and formalised pathways.

Others working on the deal include landscape architect he Landscape Agency, planning consultant Quod and environmental consultant WSP.