Tottenham Hotspur taken to high court by local business

A local business standing in the way of Tottenham Hotspur’s £400m stadium redevelopment plans has launched a high court battle to stay put.

It was agreed on Thursday that the case brought by Archway Sheet Metal Works will be heard on 17-8 February by Mr Justice Dove, who revealed in court he is an Aston Villa fan.

The owners of Archway are challenging the confirmation of a compulsory purchase order that could force them to make way for a new 56,000-capacity stadium complex.

Last November, a mystery fire gutted the premises near the north stand at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane ground in north London.

The owners said they had received “bomb threats” over his refusal to vacate the site. Josif Josif, 46, who runs the family business, said at the time of the fire: “People were calling us and threatening us and we were receiving bomb threats and that started a few months ago but we don’t know if that’s got anything to do with it.”

The company describes itself as a “wonderfully old-fashioned family business” producing metal items for the catering and hospitality industry. The owners have been in a dispute with Spurs for the last decade over the club’s redevelopment plans.

The club has planning permission for the new stadium it hopes to open for the 2018-19 season.