Tottenham Hotspur Make 'Significant Step' in Bid for New 58,000-Capacity Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur have taken a huge step closer to building a new 58,000-seater stadium after the government approved a compulsory purchase order for work to begin.

Spurs want to build a new state-of-the-art stadium next to White Hart Lane in a bid to increase match day revenue and compete with top European clubs.

Developers Northumberland Development Project will now be able to press ahead with plans after Ministers agreed with a compulsory purchase order made by the London Borough of Haringey.

White Hart Lane was built in 1898 and has a capacity 36,300. Tottenham executives hope the move, which should happen in time for the 2017/18 season, would have a similar effect as that at arch rivals Arsenal, whose balance sheet has expanded exponentially since moving into the brand new 60,000-capacity Emirates stadium in 2007.

A statement on Tottenham's website said: "The club is pleased to announce that the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has confirmed the Compulsory Purchase Order made by Haringey Council in respect of the remaining land required for the Northumberland Development Project. This is a very significant step in the CPO process.

"The club has used the intervening period productively and has refined detailed design of the stadium in order to ensure it is future-proofed and optimised.

"We shall provide our supporters with a further update and timeline on the Northumberland Development Project as soon as we are able to do so."

Tottenham have been looking at ways of increasing stadium capacity for about a decade and in 2011 lost out to West Ham in the battle for the Olympic Stadium.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "This scheme is supported by the locally determined development plan for the area and has received strong local support."