Why City Ground redevelopment is 'once in a generation' opportunity for Nottingham Forest

Plans to redevelop Nottingham Forest’s City Ground have been billed as a “once in a generation” opportunity for both the club and the wider community.

It has taken seven long years and the prospect of the Reds upping sticks to get to this point. The road ahead does still have some potential hurdles, but next Wednesday (September 16) marks a significant date in the calendar toward (hopefully) getting spades in the ground.

At 6pm that day, Rushcliffe Borough Council’s planning committee will come together for a meeting estimated to last at least two hours to discuss Forest’s proposals. There are still some issues to be addressed, specifically around the crowd flow that would come with an increase in capacity, but the hope is a big step forward can be taken in the form of approval being granted.

The Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Trust (NFST) have been doing their bit in pushing for the green light to be given. For chair Asif Naidu, the plans represent an opportunity that simply should not be passed up as owner Evangelos Marinakis looks to realise his long-held ambition of a bigger stadium for the club.

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“The redevelopment is hugely crucial. Also, the increase in capacity is hugely crucial,” Naidu told the Nottingham Post. “For the past few seasons demand has massively outstripped supply, and that has an impact on all sorts of things - it has probably been a contributing factor to season card prices being what they are. For younger fans, increased capacity would give them the opportunity to get access to Forest, which they can't at the moment - and I know that's a big thing for the club.

“And I think for the local economy, it's huge. The investment and the income that is going to be generated in the local community is massive. It's a facilitator for a wider regeneration of the city’s sporting quarter, really making sure Nottingham in the East Midlands is the sporting place to go.

“I've lived in West Bridgford for 12 years now and I've seen how it's changed just in the five years we've been in the Premier League. All the local pubs and businesses around the City Ground have flourished as a result of it, and that's great to see that happen in this economy.

“I think it's a once in a generation opportunity. Maranakis is a custodian of the club - he's not going to be owning it forever - and he's willing to make this investment, not just into the club, but into the community. To miss that, I think, would be huge.”

Forest first unveiled plans to revamp their home in 2019, at a time when they were still playing in the Championship. Such has been the extent of the saga, at one stage the club even considered the possibility of relocating.

The vision the Reds are hoping to get the nod for this month differs significantly to the plans Rushcliffe Borough Council approved in the summer of 2025. Marinakis’ big dream is for the stadium to eventually accommodate more than 52,000 seats.

The NFST have been campaigning for support to be shown for the club’s plans. Last month, the Trust sent an open letter to members of parliament, councillors and regional leaders asking them to publicly get behind the City Ground project. In response, Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome, Nottingham North and Kimberley MP Alex Norris and Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood published a joint statement indicating their backing.

The Trust’s open letter followed a call to arms for members and supporters to ensure their voices were heard. More than 1,200 letters of support were subsequently sent to Rushcliffe Borough Council by Forest fans, with more than 700 from Trust members.

“The idea was to get it back into the open, ahead of the (planning committee) meeting,” Naidu said. “We wanted to make sure it was getting the airspace that it should be getting.”

In response to the statement made by Nottingham’s three MPs showing their support, the Trust said: “A big thank you to Nottingham’s three MPs for their continued support and for amplifying our message. We’ve also had fantastic support from many councillors across the region who have emailed the Trust to confirm their backing. Thank you for standing with our club and our city.”

The Trust added: “But the job isn’t done. With the proposed meeting in mid-September approaching, your support is still vital. Please keep sharing the campaign, contacting your local councillors and encouraging others to make their support known. Together, we can help secure the future of our home.”

Naidu recognises there will be some objections to the project but has underlined the importance of fans having their say. Letters of support for the plans can continue to be submitted.

“That’s the one thing fans can do at the moment that will have an impact,” he said. “The more fans that do that, the more the planning committee has to listen and pay attention to it.

“I live in West Bridgford, so I see the pros and the cons of it because I get affected by it. Not that it matters because I'm going to the game, but my wife gets affected by the traffic and everything so I do understand it all.”

He added: “I think it's huge that the capacity increases. It is also important the club stays where it is, because there's the history and it's an iconic stadium. But the actual underlying issue is the demand outweighs the supply.

“From a football perspective, for us to be competitive in the Premier League, we've got to generate extra income. One of the main ways of doing that is by increasing the capacity.

“The only thing that seems to be getting in the way, the only open question, is the issues around transport and footfall. And that's where I think we need the support of all the councillors and the supporters and the MPs.

“I'm by no means a planning and transport expert, but I can't see how some of that, any of that, is insurmountable. It just means that we all - fans, MPs, councillors and the club - have got to work collaboratively to get to the right answer.

“We were going to redevelop the ground when we were in the Championship and that need hasn't changed, has it? I think the second somebody sees a spade go in the ground, there will be parties and everything going on!

“But the key thing is just to get that first spade in the ground, isn't it? We seem as close as we're ever going to get to it, and that's why we're asking for this last final push from everybody.”