Tottenham Hotspur are expected to receive the green light to play 27 "home" matches in front of Wembley's full 90,000-capacity next season when Brent Council meets on Thursday evening.
Spurs are set to use Wembley as a temporary home for next season while the redevelopment of White Hart Lane is completed. Under Wembley's existing planning rules the club could play five full-capacity matches, but they have applied to stage an additional 22 games without restrictions.
Spurs initially asked for 36 games at full capacity but that was considered too great a strain on local residents, and they have since agreed to a reduced figure of 27 -- the same number of home games they will play this season.
If the proposal is approved, there remains a chance Spurs could play some matches in front of a reduced crowd of 50,835. In the past decade, they have had more than 27 home matches in a season only three times -- 31 in 2006-07, 28 in 2007-08 and 30 in 2014-15 -- and there will be no obligation, only the option, to use the stadium's full capacity if Brent rules in their favour.
Any matches beyond the quota of 27 must be played with the top tier of the stadium closed.
The club must decide by the end of the month if they want take up the option to use Wembley next season or delay the move, and the demolition of White Hart Lane, for a year.
Spurs plan to move into their new £800 million home, currently under construction adjacent to White Hart Lane, for the 2018-19 season but chairman Daniel Levy has admitted they could put it on hold and spend another season at the Lane if the building work hits delays.
Brent Council officers have recommended that the planning committee accepts the proposal but local residents, MPs and the police have all expressed concerns ahead of the meeting at 6.30 p.m. GMT at Brent Civic Centre.
The club has yet to decide on a number of issues related to playing in front of a record Premier League crowd, including how to migrate existing season ticket holders and whether they will be still be able to used Wembley in 2018-19 if they delay by 12 months.
Ticket pricing is a principle issue still to be decided, though. The club offered heavily subsidised tickets, some as low as £5, for the Europa League round-of-32 match against Gent last month, attracting a sellout crowd, but they cannot do the same for Premier League games without risking alienating season ticket holders, who pay an average of £900 for 19 league games and two cup matches.
Supporters without season tickets have struggled to get a seat at a reduced-capacity White Hart Lane this season, and former Tottenham captain Gary Mabbutt, now an ambassador for the club, hopes Brent rules in the club's favour.
"There are already 50,000 Spurs fans on the season ticket waiting list. If they're playing regularly in front of 90,000 people at Wembley next season, every supporter on the waiting list will be able to see every game there next season," Mabbutt told ESPN FC. "We already have a huge amount of fans globally who can't get tickets at White Hart Lane unfortunately, and this is their chance."
Kat Law, co-chair of The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust, feels the ruling could present the club a unique opportunity to attract new supporters, however.
"The average age of a season ticket holder at Tottenham is mid-40s, so it's a great opportunity to engage the next generation," Law told ESPN FC. "There is going to be a commitment to the local community if it goes ahead, including work by the Spurs Foundation and with local schools.
"That will probably include some match tickets, which is a great way of engaging with the local catchment area and that demographic,"
"There are so many tickets available in such a big catchment area so engaging the next generation is something the club needs to be thinking about. The recruitment of these kids is going to be relatively straightforward -- there isn't another Premier League team around. It's a fantastic opportunity, but retaining them is equally important.
"You want to keep these kids forever. It's a big job. A supporter should be for life, not just for Wembley."