The Guardian reported back in March that Tottenham Hotspur Football Club were lobbying London mayor, Sadiq Khan, and his transport office, to have the name of White Hart Lane station changed to Tottenham Hotspur Station.
The report claimed that the Transport for London (TfL) wanted the club to pay more than £14.7m for the privilege but that Tottenham had vigorously contested that request. However, the same publication now reports that the name change process has been halted and that public will now be given a say on the plans.
It is suggested that while the TfL were in the process of finalising the name change a few months ago but worries have now emerged about the potential ramifications of allowing the station’s name to be changed.
The briefing documents obtained by the publication suggests that the TfL is worried that other companies might approach them with similar requests.
The Green party co-leader Siân Berry, who plans to stand against Sadiq Khan in the 2020 London mayoral election her already revealed his displeasure at the proposed plan to change the name of the historic station.
Berry is quoted as saying in the Telegraph: “It’s something that I would really worry about. We can’t just let a historic transport network like this be renamed by companies throwing a bit of money at them.
“It also looks like they were preparing to go ahead with the renaming without a public consultation. They clearly made a mistake.”
Khan’s office has now said that no decision had been finalised and discussions between TfL, Tottenham and external partners were ongoing.
A TfL spokesperson said, “Discussions are ongoing around a potential commercial partnership with Tottenham Hotspur football club.
“Should all parties, including the local council, agree to the potential renaming of White Hart Lane as part of the partnership, we would engage with local stakeholders and residents to ensure that any concerns raised are properly considered.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While TfL’s concerns about renaming the stadium are understandable, the local residents in likelihood won’t be against the idea of renaming the station. However, Mr.Khan’s office and the TfL made an error by not consulting the local stakeholders.
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