Forest given a 'here we go' for expansion plans

PETER TAYLOR STAND TO BE REBUILT AS FIRST STAGE OF AMBITIOUS SCHEME IS GRANTED APPROVAL

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE [e-mail]

NOTTINGHAM Forest have been given final approval for the first step of their ambitious City Ground expansion plans, six years after they were first unveiled.

Once all conditions have been met, the club can start progressing plans to demolish and rebuild the Peter Taylor Stand in a move that will increase capacity by 5,000.

The Reds have also been given initial approval on plans for a block of up to 170 apartments next to the rebuilt stand, but this is subject to approval of other details they will have to provide to the council.

The Reds first unveiled their proposal to expand the ground on the banks of the River Trent in 2019 and were given conditional permission in 2022.

Complex negotiations have taken place since then on issues including the financial contributions the club will make to the area and how they will support a rowing club when Forest demolish one of its buildings.

Progress on those negotiations means that at a Rushcliffe Borough Council planning committee meeting on Thursday night, councillors voted unanimously to give full planning permission for the Peter Taylor Stand demolition and outline planning permission for the apartments.

In a statement after the meeting, Nottingham Forest said: "The club is delighted that Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee has approved our application regarding the redevelopment of the City Ground.

"We look forward to working closely with our partners on the next steps and will provide a further update in due course."

Forest's legal representative at Thursday's meeting confirmed that this will merely be the "first step" in the evolution of the City Ground.