London - Tottenham Hotspur's plans to build a new 58 000-capacity stadium on a site next to their White Hart Lane home are set to go ahead following Government approval.
Spurs, who have played at White Hart Lane since 1899, hope to move into the new ground in 2017.
“This is a very significant step”, the club said on their website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com) on Saturday before adding that they had “refined a detailed design of the stadium” to fully develop its potential for the future.
Spurs have been clearing land next to White Hart Lane for two years and, as the Government has approved the final stages of their plans, building work can now begin.
The Government's Communities Secretary Eric Pickles was quoted by the BBC as saying: “This scheme is supported by the locally determined development plan for the area and has received strong local support”.
White Hart Lane's record attendance of 75,038 was set in 1938 but its capacity now is 36,230.
The club have a waiting list for season tickets of more than 20,000 fans. The move to a bigger stadium will vastly increase revenue and therefore allow Spurs to challenge better for domestic and European honours. – Reuters