Join our campaign to save Whitewebbs Park, a naturally rewilded public park in Enfield, North London from development by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) for its new training ground.

Brief History

The 240 acre Park, comprising grassland and ancient woodland, was bought by Enfield Council in 1931 for the public. It is Green Belt land held in Public Trust on a lease term of 999 years. The Park (grassland section) was used since the 1930s as a public golf course. Enfield Council began a tendering process in 2019 to lease the golf course area. This resulted in THFC being selected as the preferred bidder in 2021. The golf course was formally closed in 2021. The lease stated that if the golf course was to close, it would revert to public use. Since its closure, everyone has continued to enjoy this beautiful Park. There has been minimal maintenance, which has meant the old golf course has been naturally rewilding ever since. The current established, thriving, ecosystem provides a stunning mosaic of grassland, scrub and woodland habitats and is home to an astonishing array of flora and fauna, which includes rare and protected species. Now, THFC wants to expand its commercial football training centre for elite players into the rewilded grassland section, and build a new road through a portion of the ancient woodland near Whitewebbs Lake*, which would irremediably destroy the historic character of the Park and the vital, present nature, and take away a long standing space dedicated to the public. And this all comes in a time where we are losing so much publicly accessible open space, with an ever growing population, and during the threatening loom of climate change and species decline. Enfield Council are backing THFC's proposals in spite of the overwhelming public opposition.

* This road proposal was amended at the 11th February 2025 planning committee meeting to be pedestrian access only. The ancient woodland would still be damaged, and THFC has historically pushed through significant amendments after the main developments were approved, such as its hotel and women's training centre on its existing site.

Legal Challenge

Our park will be lost under concrete unless we act now.

DONATE towards an urgent Judicial Review of Enfield Council’s decision to let Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (Spurs) develop a large area of Whitewebbs Park in Enfield into a private training facility.

Poster by Sam Gracie Tillbrook and Alison Gracie

Legal Challenge Posters

Sam Gracie Tillbrook has made three different posters using images by Colin Pressland and Alison Gracie. You can choose from these to put one up in your window (or feel free to put up all 3)! Just download them here and print them out (if you don’t have a printer, you can visit your local library). Please also encourage your neighbours and friends to do so too.

In the folder, we have included versions of the poster both with and without QR codes and links. The posters without are best to put up in your window, because people won't be able to read the small text or scan the QR codes from a distance. The posters with the QR codes are for putting up around your local area, especially if you have a laminator.

Open Meeting

The Guardians of Whitewebbs organised an open meeting, held on 6th August, in advance of launching the legal challenge. It had a great turn out, with over 80 people attending, and we spoke to many residents about our next steps to Save Whitewebbs. Thank you so much for coming. And we are very grateful to St Luke’s Church for hosting us, and to all who helped organise and publicise the event.

Photo: Kitty Clarke

Our Video

This short, 5 minute video addresses Tottenham Hotspur's claims.

Number Crunching

Whitewebbs, Spurs and Enfield Council.

Mayor Approves Devastating Whitewebbs Development

On 14th July 2025, the Mayor of London declined to intervene in Spurs' planned development of Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, North London. Spurs seek to build an elite 10 pitch women's training academy, adjacent to its 17 pitch men's training centre. The development, which would result in a consequential loss of public and biodiverse green space, now looks set to go ahead despite strong opposition, both from locals and from people across the country. The decision not to direct refusal of permission comes in spite of over 1200 representations made to the Mayor, plus more sent to the Council (these were provided to the Mayor).

Please read our press release and the decision notice, both embedded below.

Our fight is not over yet! We are in the process of planning next steps, so please stay tuned.

Mayor's Decision Protest Video by Jo Syz

Protest outside City Hall in London on 14th July 2025.

Get Involved

Here is a summary of some of the key actions you can take right now to support our campaign (click the corresponding links for more information, and guides/templates):

- Complain to the Police and Crime Commissioner for London and the Metropolitan Police about the lack of a police investigation into the Whitewebbs Oak felling.

- Email your MP requesting that they ask the police to investigate the Whitewebbs Oak felling; raise the matter with the Minister for Nature in the House of Commons; and encourage Enfield Council to conduct a survey to identify Tree Protection Orders for all suitable Whitewebbs trees.

- Sign our "Justice for the Whitewebbs Oak" petition.

- Participate in "Whitewebbs Park: What Does It Mean to You?".

- Tell your family and friends about our campaign.

- Attend our fun, family friendly nature walks and events.

- Join us at protests.

- Support our social media and share our videos with your friends.

- Sign up, and be a part of the discussion in our WhatsApp group.

- Offer your campaign expertise - email us.

Contact Us

Please either submit the form below, or email us directly at guardiansofwhitewebbs@gmail.com. One of us will get back to you as soon as possible.

Recent Event: Biological Recording and Nature Walk

Here is a highlights video by Sam Gracie Tillbrook/Avid Beats of our 22nd June 2025 Community Nature Walk in Whitewebbs Park, where experts Russell Miller and Benny Hawksbee showed us how to record wildlife and plant species around the Park. 

We encourage you to record what you see too, as it will amass lots of data showing how important this site is.

The highlights video takes you through the steps, and a summary is listed below:

1. Download iRecord or create an account on the website.
2. Use your real name to record.
3. Take a photo of the species (in app or upload from your files).
4. Identify the species (using AI if necessary).
5. Enter the location and other data.
6. Blur the location if it is a rare species.
7. Submit the record.
8. Repeat with everything you see!

Contact us if you need help. And feel free to share what you find!

Thank you all for coming to this walk and session. It was an amazing experience as always! Stay tuned for our next events. You can watch videos of our previous events on our Instagram.

Messaging Document

We are excited to announce our new messaging document, to help with writing about Whitewebbs. You can use the key points in the document as a foundation for your writing, whether it's emails, letters, objections, or social media posts. If applicable, please refer to any supplementary documents we’ve included with this messaging guide (see our messaging folder), as they may contain specific instructions for any specific tasks/aims. We recommend choosing the messaging that means something to you or the person you are contacting and tailoring the conversation around them and their interests.

Whitewebbs Park: What Does It Mean to You?

An exciting new series celebrating the community's love of Whitewebbs! We can't let this beautiful public green space be destroyed by Spurs and Enfield Council. Please join in - details in the poster below! We can't wait to hear about your stories!

The Series:

Number 1 by Sharon Drew (April 2025) | Number 2 by Caroline Day (April 2025) | Number 3 by Mavis & Hamish (May 2025 | Number 4 by Zak Philip Music (June 2025) | Number 5 by Liam Hannon (July 2025) | Number 6 by Geraldine Ahmed (July 2025) | Number 7 by Jeffrey Duckett (July 2025)

Whitewebbs Oak Felling

As you will have seen on the national media, a shocking decimation of a nationally significant oak tree took place on 3rd April 2025, in the Southwestern edge of the Whitewebbs Toby Carvery car park. We now know this action was ordered by the Toby Carvery, but are uncertain of the motives. The Guardians of Whitewebbs are pursuing the case, and have found strong links between the Toby Carvery and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (Odyzean Ltd, a subsidiary of ENIC (Spurs) owns 56.61% of the shares in Mitchells and Butlers PLC, which owns the Toby Carvery). Stay up to date with the latest news by signing up to our newsletter, WhatsApp groups and following our Instagram.

Whitewebbs Oak Protest 20th April 2025

Also see:

The illegal felling of the Whitewebbs Oak

Email the Enfield MPs Regarding the Whitewebbs Oak

Members of Parliament can raise issues and are elected to represent their constituents. Please ask what your MP is doing to get to the bottom of the Whitewebbs Oak scandal, and request that they ask the police to fully investigate; raise the matter with the Minister for Nature in the House of Commons; and encourage Enfield Council to begin an expedited survey to identify Tree Protection Orders for all suitable Whitewebbs Park and Wood trees, thus protecting them for the future. Try to include a personal touch to your letter, and explain how you feel about the Whitewebbs Oak felling.

Sign Our Petition Demanding:

Thank you so much for nearly 50,000 signatures as of 14th May 2025!

A taster of our walks...

Our 19th October nature walk, tree shrine making and seed scattering event:

Spring Green Sketching 06/04/2025

Photo: Sharon Drew

Planning Committee Protest

11th February 2025

News Interview

Brydie Monaghan from London Live Speaks to Guardians of Whitewebbs Members Sam Gracie Tillbrook and Ed Allnutt, broadcast on 13th January 2025.

Edited by: Brydie Monaghan for London Live. | Featuring footage copyright by: Sam Gracie Tillbrook, Ed Allnutt, Jo Syz, Acro Aviator, Colin Pressland and Alison Gracie. | Events featured in additional footage: Green Sketching with Sharon Drew and the Nature Walk and Tree Shrine Making with Benny Hawksbee and Melisa Zulu.

Vision

Our aim is for Whitewebbs Park to become a designated nature reserve, while staying fully publicly accessible, to ensure protection for future generations.

We would like to see the Park continue to be a central hub for residents and visitors to enjoy the beauty of nature and to be a beacon for biodiversity in London.

Our vision is to continue to build an inclusive community focussed on rewilding; environmental and wildlife education; mindfulness and collaborative activities (outdoor crafts, gardening, nature walks, retreats, eco-therapy, sustainable sports).

Current Aims

We are campaigning to save the Park from development. Please join us - we'd love to have you on board. And please sign up - we have regular events, and it will be great to have you there.

Photo by Alison Gracie

Extra Links

Constitution | Privacy Policy

Thank you so much! 

Much love from the Guardians of Whitewebbs!

Photos from the Community

Send in your photos for a chance to be featured on our Instagram: sam@avidbeats.com

Disclaimer: We welcome your thoughts but are not responsible for content not posted by the official "Guardians of Whitewebbs" accounts (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp Groups, Website). We do not support illegal or harmful activities, and please report any such content to us to seek removal.