Court overturns decision to approve F3-designed Spurs women’s football academy

The High Court has quashed the planning permission for Tottenham Hotspur FC’s women’s football academy in Enfield following a judicial review backed by the Conservative-led local council.

F3 Architects’ plans for the training centre were approved in July last year despite amassing more than 300 objections from members of the public, largely due to concerns over the scheme’s proposed location on greenbelt land.

Submitted in March 2024, the proposals would have seen the construction of 10 football pitches, the refurbishments of two existing clubhouse buildings and the construction of a new grounds maintenance building on the site at Whitewebbs Park.

The application had been backed by the Labour-controlled London borough of Enfield before the party was swept from power in the May 2026 local elections, leaving the Conservatives as the largest party leading a minority administration.

A judicial review against the 2025 planning approval was brought by independent legal charity Public Interest Law Centre and backed by the council, which had pledged to block the scheme prior to the May local elections.

Enfield council leader Alessandro Georgiou said the new administration had withdrawn from defending the judicial review as it “would not have been in the best interests of residents across the borough”.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 said the Conservative administration was “delighted” that the High Court had quashed the planning permission for the “unacceptable proposal”, adding the council would now seek alternative plans that “protect this important area of Enfield”.

In the court’s judgement, handed down yesterday, Sir Tim Kerr said councillors had been “materially misled” by the omission of an analysis on the claimed environmental benefits of the scheme from the planning officers’ report on the application.

The council’s decision not to fight the judicial review follows its withdrawal from the government’s New Town programme on 28 May, following the local elections.

Both the Conservative Party and the Green Party had campaigned against plans for the 21,000-home Crews Hill development, one of seven New Towns proposed by the government in March.

Tottenham Hotspurs 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”.