Latest Nottingham Forest news as Reds chairman Tom Cartledge discusses City Ground redevelopment project
Chairman Tom Cartledge says Nottingham Forest’s plans to redevelop the City Ground are “progressing at pace”.
The club first announced the multi-million pound project to transform their stadium in 2019. A central part of the vision is to increase the capacity of the Peter Taylor Stand by knocking it down and rebuilding it.
Approval was given by Rushcliffe Borough Council in the summer of 2022, but work is yet to start as certain conditions need to be met – including the demolition and relocation of boathouses by the River Trent. Cartledge has been involved with the redevelopment project since its early stages and says progress continues to be made.
When the time does come for work to begin, the Reds are keen to have green credentials front of mind. It comes as they are set to unveil a new “climate-positive” fan zone at the ground for Saturday’s 5.30pm clash with Everton.
“Lots of fans keep asking about the progress of the Peter Taylor Stand. We are making incredibly good progress now,” Cartledge told NottinghamshireLive.
“We’ve got great relationships with Rushcliffe Council and we are progressing at pace. As part of that project, we will now be reviewing again our sustainability – whether that’s power or whether that’s materials which will go into the new stand.
“The football community of Nottingham should not just see it as a pure fan experience. But actually, this is also our positive responsibility to the environment to develop a new City Ground based on green principles.
“Certainly before Christmas we are looking to make a series of announcements about additional activity that is going to take place across the stadium. Part of that will be some more specific timelines relating to the Peter Taylor Stand.
“Today, there isn’t a definitive date because we are still working through some key areas with the respective councils. But we have very much accelerated that in the last three months and I am very pleased with the progress we have made. Hopefully before Christmas we will be confirming a number of things.”
The City Ground crowd played a key role last season as Forest’s strong home record contributed to Steve Cooper’s side retaining their Premier League status. Amid huge demand for tickets, the club are considering temporary seating which would boost capacity. They have drawn on the idea used in Qatar’s Stadium 974 at last year’s World Cup of erecting a temporary seating area that will be built on shipping containers.
“Between now and Christmas there will be a number of different announcements. I think it’s fair to say that one of them is to look at the use of containers, to identify places or spaces around the ground where we might be able to make short-term increases in attendance,” Cartledge said.
“But very much as well, with planning the demolition and the rebuild of the Peter Taylor Stand, we are going to need facilities around the perimeter of the ground and alongside to ensure we are capable of meeting the demands of the Premier League – be that TV and media suites and everything else.
“The ownership has made it really clear to me that we need to make sure during any construction process, we are maximising the opportunity for fans and the Premier League to see the City Ground as full and as busy as it can be, while acknowledging that we are going to go through a period of construction where we are going to have to reduce attendance.
“The period between now and Christmas, I think we will see a number of different activities take place to excite fans. But also to make people realise we are progressing at pace with all the projects.”
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