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It is looking increasingly unlikely that Tottenham’s new £400m stadium will be open in time for the 2013/14 season, according to media reports.

Haringey borough's police commander and national heritage groups have raised doubts about the club's most recent plans.

Superintendent Chris Barclay, Haringey's acting borough commander, has written a six-page letter to planners stressing the need for a design that keeps in mind the risk of "conflict" between rival fans. In it, he underlines certain "challenges and issues" that could prevent the stadium receiving its security certification.

A Tottenham spokeswoman told the Guardian: "We agree on the issues they have raised and we will enshrine them in the Section 106 [planning agreement]."

English Heritage and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) both have concerns over plans for the stadium's entrance from Tottenham High Road.

"We are working through these issues with English Heritage and CBE," the spokeswoman added, pointing out that that revised outline designs have met a favourable reaction from both heritage groups.

But with the council's planning committee due to discuss the application in the next two months, time appears to be running out. Even if planning consents are granted by the end of September, Tottenham must raise the finance for building the ground.

A mixture of sponsorship, equity investment, land deals and debt will be used. However, in a far more favourable economic climate, it took Arsenal took 30 months to raise the cash to build the Emirates Stadium and roughly the same to construct it.

On a similar timescale, it would be 2015 before Tottenham’s new ground opens, reports the Guardian.