TOTTENHAM Hotspur have cleared another hurdle in their bid to redevelop their stadium after signing a planning agreement.

Club officials finally signed a Section 106 agreement – a planning document in which developers agree money to be paid to councils to bring community benefits – this week, after negotiating with Haringey Council at the end of last year.

The agreement means Spurs are required to pay up to £17m – split between improving transport and facilities in the area, with donations also going to schools.

The council granted the club planning permission for the £400m scheme to build a new 56,000-seat stadium – dubbed the Northumberland Park Project – in October, but the club has been caught up in a battle with West Ham United to move to the Olympic Stadium since then.

West Ham were granted permission to move into the stadium after next year's Olympics after a bitter decision-making process by the Olympic Park Legacy Committee in March.

Today's move is the first significant step forward in the bid to keep Spurs in Tottenham since then.

The Section 106 agreement Spurs have signed means the club will pay significantly less than rivals Arsenal paid for a similar redevelopment when they build the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners paid around £60m – more than three times what Spurs are paying – in commitments to Islington Council as part of the planning process.