Forest fans cheer 'once in a lifetime' expansion

AMBITIOUS £800M PLANS WOULD SEE BIG CHANGES AT CITY GROUND

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

FRESH plans for the expansion of the City Ground have been dubbed a "once in a lifetime opportunity" as Nottingham Forest fans got their first look at the proposed new stadium.

A huge £800 million would be ploughed into the stadium if the new plans are approved and the whole project could be completed by 2033.

That would be just in time for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2035, in which Nottingham would be on a shortlist for prospective cities to stage matches subject to a successful UK bid to host the tournament.

The latest plans, set to be officially lodged with Rushcliffe Borough Council later this month, are significantly different to those first presented in 2019. The original plans mainly centred on the expansion of the Peter Taylor Stand, with a masterplan aiming to take overall stadium capacity from 30,000 to around 40,000.

The new plans instead involve all stands apart from the Bridgford being expanded in some way, with the capacity soaring to as much as 52,500.

Initial enabling works would begin in the summer of 2026 if Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee backs the plans, with the main construction phase hoped to start in the summer of 2027.

The plans were officially unveiled at an event for dignitaries on Thursday and fans got their first chance to have a look during a public drop-in session on Friday.

One of the most enthusiastic supporters of the plans was actually a Fulham fan, but Matt Drewitt feels as though he is an “adopted” Red as he is now living in West Bridgford.