Nottingham Forest are set to begin a huge redevelopment of the City Ground praised by locals as 'tremendous'. The Reds first announced the multi-million pound revamp in 2019, but their ambition to transform the stadium into a world-class venue has been hit by delays during the planning process.
But Rushcliffe Borough Council has now revealed the plans have been recommended for approval and will be considered by its planning committee on Thursday, July 28. Forest want to give their home a significant facelift and transform the stadium into a world-class venue, increasing capacity to 38,000 at an estimated cost of more than £94m.
Phase one centres on rebuilding the Peter Taylor Stand, with the initial plans outlining new state-of-the-art dressing rooms, a museum, club shop, executive boxes and media suites. The club also wishes for a 13-storey building with 169 residential apartments to be built where the club shop and champions centre currently stand.
Roy Bell, 59, and Patricia Bell, 57, from Carlton, who had just left the Nottingham Forest club shop praised the plans, and hoped they would finally be greenlit.
"It is a cracking atmosphere now, but it will be unreal to get more people in. The only shame is that it hasn't been done before we've got back into the Premier League after 23 years out," Mr Bell said.
"It would be daft for it not to be approved, it should have been a long time ago. If you look at West Bridgford town centre it's great and a top tier stadium will bring people from other cities in and show them what the area is like, it will be mega amounts of money brought here."
Mrs Bell, who is a Notts County fan, added: "I'm a County fan but it's a good thing for Nottingham in general. It'll bring more people in and more fans will come and spend on their way to matches - I already know people who rent out places around here when football is on."
On Rosebery Avenue, which sits just behind the Peter Taylor stand set to be the focus of the works, residents were also generally supportive. Retiree Kevin Battersby, 71, who has lived on the avenue for 40 years, said: "It will be tremendous when it is done.
"It will be good to see a load of investment into the area. I'm hoping it will be good for local businesses like restaurants and eateries.
"We would have missed it if the ground had moved to Gamston. The only problem I could see is the inconvenience of the construction but hopefully it won't go on all day, and the traffic."
Charlotte Farrow, 35, whose home backs onto the City Ground on Rosebery Avenue, said: "It will probably look nicer from the back window and hopefully bring more shops and restaurants.
"I don't think the work will bother people around here, we'll gotten used to the noise from the ground. It'll be a good thing for the city in general."
The project has been held up by the cross-jurisdictional nature of the City Ground site, the fact that the development is taking place in a residential area, and most recently by amendments to the scale of the residential building. Forest had contemplated building an entirely new stadium in 2007, but the idea to build a new ground in Gamston was scrapped.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has reportedly already spent more than £2m directly related to the plans and has been committed to the project throughout. Completing the redevelopment is now expected to cost more than £94m, with the plans formulated even before Forest's exciting ascension to the Premier League..
Andy Caddell, Chair of the Nottingham Forest Supporters Trust, said: "We're keen to see the club develop on every level.
"Overall the views are hugely positive. What was nice is that Forest committed to this before we got promoted, which is pretty unprecedented for a club that was in the championship.
"It's all very positive. And the fact it is not a reaction to going up shows the ambition of the people in charge at the club."
When it was first announced, it was said the redevelopment project could provide a bumper boost to the local economy, as well as creating a considerable number of jobs. The construction phase could lead to as many as 1,200 jobs, with Forest owner Marinakis keen to see many of those created locally - both on the project and in the supply chain.
According to Forest’s advisers in 2019 post-construction the redevelopment could lead to the club generating 1,150 net additional jobs. Moreover, the 10-year projection for impact on the local economy could be an incredible £0.6 billion - with the potential for that to double as a result of promotion to the Premier League.
East Midlands Chamber director of policy and external affairs Chris Hobson said: “We saw first-hand just how important Nottingham Forest is to its community when the club’s promotion to the Premier League was celebrated joyously in the city and surrounding areas less than two months ago.
“So it would be great to see this huge moment followed up with a decisive step forward in the long-mooted redevelopment of the City Ground, which is integral to the club and local area for so many reasons beyond its obvious history.
“Its position on the banks of the River Trent makes it a popular attraction for many visitors, while we’re now seeing a pipeline of significant economic activity happening nearby, including regeneration of previously under-used land into modern housing developments and the revitalisation of amenities used by local residents.
“A makeover for the stadium would ensure it remains one of Nottingham’s crown jewels and by expanding the capacity, businesses across the city and in the immediate vicinity would benefit from more fans attending games and spending their money in bars, restaurants and shops.
“This is why fans, residents and business owners will be eagerly awaiting the outcome of a meeting that could have a transformative impact on not only Forest, but Nottingham as a whole.”
As well as expanding and improving the City Ground, Forest aim to offer a sustainable and environmentally friendly travel plan for visitors to the stadium. The public meeting will be streamed live on YouTube.
Rushcliffe Borough Council have been approached for comment. Nottingham Forest have been approached for comment.
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