28 Nov 2014
Cause of fire that gutted disputed Spurs stadium building still unclear
BY Tom Walker
The cause of a fire that gutted a business involved in a bitter dispute with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur FC remains unclear.
The fire at the Archway Sheet Metal factory – in north London, UK – was detected in the early hours of Tuesday 25 November. The blaze destroyed most of the building before it was brought under control.
Located just yards from Tottenham’s White Hart Lane stadium, the family-owned company was the last business standing in the way of Spurs’ plans to build a new £400m ground on the site.
The owners, the Josif family, challenged Tottenham Hotspur’s plans at the High Court in September because of a compulsory purchase order of land being approved for the site in July.
The challenge caused further delay to the stadium plans – and means that Tottenham will likely be forced to play an entire season without a home stadium.
It is understood that the fire and the demise of the building could delay the plans even further – unless the owners of the destroyed factory agree to sell the land to Tottenham.
In a statement to the media today, however, the Josif family vowed to return and rebuild the business at the site.
Prior to the fire the Josif family had publicly revealed that they’d been the subject of threats “for months” – including ones that suggested the building would be razed to the ground in an arson attack.
Fire officials continue to investigate the site but have declined to speculate the cause – other than announcing it "suspicious".
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