Tottenham Hotspur clear massive stadium obstacle

It seems like forever that we've been talking about the Northumberland Development Project, and by extension, the proposed new Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Now, some big news announced today by the club: the Department for Communities and Local Government has approved the Compulsory Purchase Order for the last parcel of land needed to move the NDP project forward.

Let's translate the above: Spurs wants to build a new 56,000 seat stadium to replace White Hart Lane and has tied it into a massive redevelopment project in the Tottenham area that includes a new supermarket, public square, hotel, club megastore, and other infrastructure changes including improvements in public transportation. Over the past months and years, the club has been buying up and relocating the businesses in the area within which it wants to develop.

There had been one holdout company, however, Archway Metals, owned by the Josif family, the property of which lies square of the way of Spurs' development plans. The Guardian, reporting on the NDP last year, wrote that Archway was refusing to sell to the club because of their belief that the NDP would displace too many local businesses (including their own) and would not be the catalyst for economic growth in Tottenham that the club claims. The club, naturally, disagrees.

The local Haringey Council, which is in support of the NDB, responded by submitting an appeal for a Compulsory Purchase Order on behalf of the club with the Department for Communities and Local Government, essentially asking the U.K. government to force Archway Metals to sell to Spurs for a fair fee. (For our American readers, this is a close analogue to the idea of "eminent domain" in the USA.) Tottenham Hotspur has been waiting nearly two years for Eric Pickles of the DCLG to rule on the CPO proposal, a delay much longer than had been anticipated, and the decision on whether to grant the CPO is one of the last dominos that needs to fall before the NDP can begin in earnest.

The DCLG's agreement to grant Haringey Council (and by extension, the club) the CPO is a huge victory for Daniel Levy, the club, and the future of the NDP. Spurs had previously announced that it hopes to begin construction on the new stadium in 2014, with the goal of having it completed by the beginning of the 2016-17 season. With this decision, it looks likely that the project can now move ahead in earnest.

In summary, we're getting a stadium, y'all. Let's party!