Tottenham Hotspur has unveiled their updated designs and plans for the Northumberland Development Project, which will be submitted to the London Borough of Haringey in the coming weeks. The scheme includes a new Populous-designed stadium that will be the first of its kind in the world as well as a hotel and visitor attractions.

Described by Club Chairman Daniel Levy as “visually dramatic” and a “landmark building for Tottenham,” the new stadium will be truly perfect for both elite football (soccer) and NFL, with a state-of-the-art retractable pitch.

Senior Principal of Populous, Christopher Lee, spoke about the stadium as the design was launched: “The new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium marks a new generation of stadia design: stadia that provide an unparalleled experience for all fans, that are civic in their nature and hold community at their heart but above all else create the most intense and atmospheric place to watch football.

“The seating bowl is designed to create an intimate relationship between player and spectator, its 17,000 capacity single tier end stand, a tribute to traditional English football grounds, will be the largest in the UK and will be the engine that drives the intensity and atmosphere in the new Spurs stadium. It will be like no other,” Lee said.

Christopher Lee continued, “Populous has always been a pioneer of new technologies. Moving pitches in stadia such as the University of Phoenix (NFL) stadium or the moving roof over centre court at Wimbledon have provided the critical experience to allow us to design a stadium that is perfect for both English football and American football. In a world first, the stadium will include a retractable natural turf surface for English football, with an astroturf pitch for American football underneath. This combination allows each sport to play on its own dedicated pitch and provides perfect sightlines for their fans.”

Key elements of the overall scheme are:

• A visually dramatic new stadium design – A landmark building for Tottenham and London, focussed towards the ‘Home End’, improved sightlines for all spectators and modern technology integral to the design from the outset to enhance the fan experience.

• An increased capacity stadium – up from 56,250 to 61,000 seats, featuring the largest single tier stand in the UK, now increased to 17,000 seats, with an unrivalled spectator experience throughout and spectators closer to the pitch than at any other comparable size stadium in the UK.

• Dedicated facilities for the NFL – including a fully retractable pitch revealing a second playing surface, compliant to NFL standard and capable of hosting a range of other events whilst protecting the integrity of the playing surface.

• An architecturally stunning new terrace on the High Road to host ‘The Tottenham Experience’ – a permanent Visitors Centre and Arrivals Hub including an interactive Museum to celebrate Club history and local heritage, a Cinema, the Club Megastore, Ticket Office and Café.

• A permanent viable use for the Grade II listed Warmington House – incorporated as part of The Tottenham Experience to house the new Museum, blending old architecture with new.

• Improved crowd management arrangements along the High Road – with the removal of three buildings that currently create a pinch point along Tottenham High Road where the pavement is just two metres wide – resulting in people walking in the bus lane and the road – allowing instead for a much wider pavement to cope with large crowds.

• Enhanced public open space – comparable in area to Trafalgar Square, includes a multi-use games area, high quality landscaping, cafes, dedicated events and community programmes managed by the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, and the ability to walk uninterrupted all the way round the stadium.

• A new 180 bedroom hotel with a dedicated training programme for the hospitality industry – providing high quality accommodation in Tottenham and opening up new career opportunities for local people. 49 serviced apartments will occupy the upper floors.

• A fantastic new building to host Extreme Sports – bringing people to Tottenham on a daily basis with activities for all ages, including the tallest indoor climbing wall in the world.

• A spectacular ‘Sky Walk’ –an adrenaline-filled experience and attraction for all ages walking on top of the stadium with spectacular views across London.

• 579 new homes, including affordable housing (designed by Allies and Morrison) – up from 285 homes in the current permission, meeting a key need for more homes in London. Set out across four new residential buildings, every apartment will enjoy access to a private balcony in addition to communal gardens and child play areas.

• A new community health centre – serving existing and new residents to the area, improving access to GPs and health screening.

The design team comprises Populous in respect of the stadium design, the hotel and the visitor attractions; Allies & Morrison for the new homes; and Donald Insall Associates as heritage architects.

Click here for the full story on the Tottenham Hotspur website.