Tottenham Hotspur submit appeal request over Whitewebbs court judgement

It comes a month after a judge ruled that the planning permission issued to Spurs for a new women’s training centre at Whitewebbs Park should be quashed, reports James Cracknell

Tottenham Hotspur's women's team currently train within the club's main complex in Bulls Cross — Tottenham Hotspur’s women’s team currently train within the club’s main complex at Bulls Cross

An application to appeal the recent Whitewebbs Park judicial review verdict has been submitted by Tottenham Hotspur FC (THFC).

The football club – currently bottom of the Premier League – wants to challenge the judge’s verdict which declared at the end of July that Enfield Council’s decision to issue permission for a women’s and girls’ training academy on Whitewebbs Park last year had been made unlawfully.

To do this, THFC has submitted a request to the Court of Appeal. This does not mean it will definitely go ahead, as the application will need to be approved first.

Back in June, High Court judge Sir Tim Kerr heard two days of evidence around the planning permission decision and later explained in his written verdict that the council had deliberately “concealed” the expert opinion of a professional ecologist who had cast doubt on claims being made by Spurs over the biodiversity impact of the proposed training centre.

In doing this, wrote Kerr, “the committee were given the false impression that he did not disagree” and, therefore, were “materially misled”.

The appeal application is being made to the Court of Appeal because the High Court has already refused THFC permission to appeal Kerr’s judgement. In rejecting this initial appeal, the judge stated that “the finding of material prejudice was a finding that real procedural unfairness had occurred”.

The judicial review case was brought by the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign group, which collectively raised £35,000 to help fund it.

In a statement issued today (Thursday 3rd) after the group learned THFC was submitting an application to the Court of Appeal, Guardian of Whitewebbs said they were “extremely disappointed” at the decision by Spurs “to ignore the wishes of the local community and the new council administration”.

The unlawful decision to award planning permission to THFC was made under the previous Labour administration, which lost control of the civic centre to the Conservatives in May. Upon taking office, new council leader Alessandro Georgiou dropped the local authority’s legal defence of the judicial review, leaving Spurs to fight alone in court.

The statement continued: “The Guardians of Whitewebbs will do all we can to defend our park, no matter how long it takes. The importance of public green space has never been greater, and it is abundantly clear that parks should not be enclosed and given over to private business.

“Unfortunately, due to Spurs’ intransigence, there are additional legal costs for all parties. We will be incurring additional fees that we will be unlikely to recover even if the application is refused. We know you have recently been very generous, so we are not asking for further donations at this stage. However, our CrowdJustice fund will remain open for donations should you feel like giving now.

“These legal challenges have been costly for all parties yet fall most heavily on communities that do not have billions at their disposal. If Spurs are successful and get permission from the Court of Appeal, then we will be asking for your kind support in raising the funds necessary to cover the hearing costs.

“Despite the challenges of taking on a multi-billion-pound business, we are feeling very positive about our victorious judgment at the High Court and the future for Whitewebbs Park. We have been encouraged by the support of the new council administration in keeping our precious Green Belt safe from private development. And our eyes are fixed on the big prize: saving Whitewebbs for many future generations.”

Both THFC and Enfield Council declined to comment for this story.

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