New Tottenham stadium plans ruffle a few feathers
It’s beautiful… or is it?
If the rumours are true, then whenever little gangs of balloon-headed aliens decide to crash land on Earth, they do so with some consideration – invariably landing their saucers in a silent corn field with just one buck-toothed inhabitant to prod in the groin with their spindly fingers, or in some woods, so as to not make too much of a mess.
Unfortunately, the pot-bellied maniacs who want to build a new stadium for Spurs are rather less thoughtful than our slimy green cousins, and have decided to smash up a load of family homes, a museum, a hotel, the White Hart pub and an old Edwardian dispensary – which, fact fans, would be a place where important medicines were “dispensed” to the sick – before plonking down a 56,000 seater.
Conservationists are not happy.
As reported in This Is London yesterday, big-time conservationist Heloise Brown said this:
“These buildings should not be sacrificed to create a bland open space that will be a wasteland apart from on match days. It will strip away an important layer of local history.”
Of course, those lucky enough to have visited the area might argue that a small demolition job might actually be a good thing, like when towns were rebuilt after the Blitz, with brand new shiny houses, multiplex cinemas, bowling alleys, and a spattering of Burger Kings.
But what do you think? Is history really more important than football?
And whose local ground sits in the worst area in the country? Let us know with a comment.
2 responses so far
michael // January 13, 2010 at 11:38 am
worst stadium location in the country has to be middlesbrough’s stadium. to get to the riverside you have to cross what can only be described as toxic wasteland (and no that’s not just the city centre)
Neil // January 13, 2010 at 6:42 pm
It’s true, the ‘Lane is in a terrible, terrible part of town, and not a lot will necessarily change when the doors of Naming Rights@TheNuLane swing open. But the argument isn’t so fresh.
The most interesting fact about This Is London’s article is that Heloise Brown made these, and other comments on the subject, some 18-months back, while also going on to produce a website on the historical buildings in the immediate area.
But yes, it is a shame that the Edwardian Dispensary – which is hardly a tourist destination initself – will be lost, along with the history that it saw, but that’s about it when considering the area. But the biggest disappointment will be the loss of a wonderful stadium and the name, White Hart Lane.
So, should football pause for history? Yes, absolutely. But the homes will be put up elsewhere; the hotel and museum will more than likely be reinstated somewhere along the line. So this isn’t really an issue.
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