Nottingham Forest secure planning approval for 52,500-capacity City Ground expansion | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest have secured planning approval on Wednesday night to redevelop the City Ground, taking capacity to 45,000 in phase one, then up to as much as 52,500.

According to NY Times, Rushcliffe Borough Council granted full consent for phase one and outline permission for phase two after a meeting lasting nearly four hours, seven years and seven months after the scheme was first announced. Both votes passed 10 to one.

The club plan to rebuild three stands. The Peter Taylor Stand would triple from 5,000 to 15,000 seats and corners beside the Trent End would be filled to add up to 5,000 more in phase one, with the Brian Clough Stand gaining 7,500 in phase two.

The project is expected to cost at least £550 million, with owner Evangelos Marinakis seeking Champions League-standard facilities. Parts of the Peter Taylor Stand and the Trent End would remain in use during construction.

Work cannot begin until conditions are met, including an acceptable crowd flow plan that is likely to require a new footbridge over the River Trent under a section 106 agreement. Plans to remove two lanes on Trent Bridge were rejected, so any extra river crossing would need separate approval.

Forest must also fund transport and public-realm upgrades, including £1.75 million for matchday buses, £990,000 for parking controls and more than £400,000 for walking and cycle paths, plus further sums for park-and-ride, signage and canal-side works. The Britannia boathouse must be relocated and flood defences approved.

Source: NY Times

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