Future of Spurs' stadium in the balance as Archway CPO court hearing begins

A major breakthrough – or stumbling block – in Tottenham Hotspur's new building project could be determined over the next two days. Arguments are being held today and tomorrow in British High Court over Archway Sheet Metal's appeal of the decision to grant Tottenham Hotspur a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to purchase their sheet metal factory land.

Archway Sheet Metal's land lies directly across the street from White Hart Lane and is in the footprint of the proposed new Tottenham stadium. It is the last piece of land needed for Spurs to break ground on the new stadium. The company, owned by the Josif family, have resisted all attempts to sell to Spurs and have long protested the stadium proposal, arguing that it would not, in fact, lead to increased jobs in Tottenham, as Spurs have argued.

Last year, Tottenham area city official Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles granted Spurs a Compulsory Purchase Order – the British equivalent of eminent domain – to purchase the Archway land. Archway appealed the decision to the High Court, and now that case begins today.

This decision, naturally, has massive ramifications over the future of Tottenham's new stadium and the entire Northumberland Development Project. Whether you agree with Archway's position or not, the entire project has virtually ground to a halt and the future of the stadium appears murky until this issue is resolved.

Thankfully, there are two ways in which you can follow the case as it unfolds. The Haringey Independent, a Tottenham area newspaper, is actually live-blogging the hearing and has two reporters covering the case. If you're on Twitter, the same reporters (and others) are tweeting about the hearing using the hashtag #SpursCPO.

It's unclear whether a decision will be immediately granted at the conclusion of the hearing or if, like in American legal proceedings, it will take a period of time before the court rules. We'll continue to bring updates as necessary in this case.