The High Court has overturned planning permission for Tottenham Hotspur FC’s proposed women’s football academy at Whitewebbs Park in Enfield after a successful judicial review supported by the borough’s new Conservative-led administration.
The training centre, designed by F3 Architects, was granted planning approval in July 2025 despite attracting more than 300 public objections, with opposition focused largely on its location within designated Green Belt land.
Submitted in March 2024, the proposals included 10 football pitches, the refurbishment of two existing clubhouse buildings and the construction of a new grounds maintenance facility as part of a dedicated training base for the club’s women’s and girls’ teams.
The application had been approved under the previous Labour-controlled administration. However, after Labour lost control of Enfield Council in the May 2026 local elections, the Conservatives emerged as the largest party and formed a minority administration. Before the election, the Conservatives had pledged to oppose the development and subsequently backed a judicial review brought by the independent legal charity Public Interest Law Centre.
Council leader Alessandro Georgiou said the new administration had decided not to continue defending the planning approval because doing so “would not have been in the best interests of residents across the borough”.
“This new administration pledged to protect Whitewebbs Park from unacceptable development and ensure it remains accessible for local residents and communities to enjoy,” Georgiou said.
He added that the Conservative administration was “delighted” the High Court had quashed planning permission for what it described as an “unacceptable proposal”, saying the council would now pursue alternative plans that “protect this important area of Enfield”.
In his judgment, delivered yesterday, Sir Tim Kerr ruled that councillors had been “materially misled” because the planning officers’ report omitted an analysis of the environmental benefits claimed in support of the development.
The ruling follows another major policy shift by the new administration, which withdrew Enfield from the Government’s New Town programme on 28 May after taking control of the council. Both the Conservative and Green parties had opposed proposals for the 21,000-home Crews Hill development, one of seven New Towns announced by the Government in March.
Responding to the judgment, Tottenham Hotspur FC 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 club added that it will now “consider the judgement carefully and determine our next steps”.
