Enfield Council pulls legal defence in Whitewebbs Park court battle

The new leader of Enfield Council has withdrawn the authority's legal defence in a judicial review brought by campaigners trying to stop Tottenham Hotspur developing Whitewebbs Park.

Conservative leader Alessandro Georgiou, who took charge of the council three weeks ago, said continuing to fight the case was "not in the best interests" of local residents. Even so, the hearing is still set to go ahead as things stand, because Tottenham Hotspur have not backed down and remain listed as an interested party in the proceedings.

It is the second judicial review campaigners have launched over the future of the park. The first, heard in February 2024, challenged the council's decision to grant Spurs a 25-year lease over half the site and ended in defeat for Sean Wilkinson, chair of the Friends of Whitewebbs Park. This year's case takes aim instead at the decision to award planning permission for the club's proposed women's training facility.

The Conservatives campaigned at last month's local election on a promise to halt the Spurs plans, and went on to take minority control of the council after newly elected Green councillors, who had made the same pledge to protect the park, opted not to block Georgiou's path to the leadership. One of his first acts on taking office was to refuse to sign the lease the club needs to proceed.

Despite the council stepping back, the judicial review is still scheduled to run over two days at the High Court in central London on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th, with no lawyer now representing the authority. The planning permission will only be overturned if the presiding judge accepts the campaigners' argument that the original decision was legally flawed.

Georgiou said: "Enfield's new administration has pledged to protect Whitewebbs Park from unacceptable development and to ensure it remains accessible for local residents and communities to enjoy. Continuing to defend this judicial review would not reflect that commitment and is not in the best interests of residents across the borough."

The challenge has been driven by the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign group, which raised close to £30,000 through a crowdfunder last summer. Their case argues that planning committee members were misled over biodiversity, and that council policies were misinterpreted in the report put before them when the application was approved.

Welcoming the council's decision to step aside, the group said it was grateful for the swift review but expressed frustration that Spurs intend to press on. The campaigners said they would continue to fight to save the park for residents, wildlife and future generations. The club declined to comment and has given no sign it plans to concede.

In the decision notice he signed this week, Georgiou put the cost of the council's legal defence so far at around £100,000, noting that pulling out before the hearing would save a further £32,000 in legal fees.

Tottenham Hotspur have previously billed the scheme, which also features a new turf academy and visitor centre, as a once in a generation opportunity to create a regionally significant asset for the borough. The former Labour administration had also promoted the wider benefits, pointing to the club's pledge to invest in women's and girls' football in Enfield if the development went ahead.