Tottenham stadium application not backed

Tottenham's hopes for a new stadium have received a blow after the Government's architectural watchdog refused to fully support the club's Northumberland Development Project.

Spurs want to build a new ground adjacent to their current White Hart Lane site and while the design of the 56,250-capacity arena has been praised, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) have criticised aspects of the proposals.

Government-advisors CABE, whose report will be considered by Haringey Council before a decision is made on Spurs' planning application, have concerns over housing, a supermarket and the public square that have been included in plans.

"For these reasons, although we support the design of the stadium, regrettably we cannot support the planning application as a whole," read CABE's design review.

It added: "We are concerned that an overall masterplan for the site is not evident: the three components - the stadium, supermarket, and housing - feel like very separate projects without convincing spatial relationships between them."

Spurs submitted a planning application last October and were included as possible venues should England win their bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The club have also been looking for a sponsor to take the naming rights for the stadium.