Nottingham Forest leaving City Ground 'doesn't bear thinking about' as talks on stadium's future stall

The relocation of Nottingham Forest away from the City Ground has been described as “unthinkable” amid confirmation that talks on extending the club’s lease have stalled. Nottingham City Council is the owner of the land which the historic stadium sits on and where the Reds have played since 1898.

The authority says it has been in talks with Forest about its future at the stadium, with options including retaining the current lease, negotiating a new one or selling the freehold on a permanent basis. A 2019 deal did not progress as the council claimed it did not meet its duty to achieve best value for taxpayers, with the authority having now employed specialist agents to advise on the matter.

The stalled talks have created uncertainty about the future of the club’s location and the planned redevelopment of the City Ground. Elliot Stanley, from the Nottingham Forest Supporters Trust, says he has been aware for some time of rumours that the stalled talks could put the planned redevelopment at risk.

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First revealed in 2019, Nottingham Forest is planning a multi-million pound revamp of the City Ground which would take its capacity to around 35,000. A central part of the long-term vision for the stadium is to increase the capacity of the Peter Taylor stand by knocking it down and rebuilding it.

Plans also include improving and, in the case of the Bridgford Stand, extending the other three sides of the ground. The plans would see Forest playing in the biggest football stadium in the East Midlands and would be a major boost to the local economy.

Current club chairman Tom Cartledge took over from Nicholas Randall late last year amid plans to drive the redevelopment forward. Work had initially been due to start in the summer of 2020, with the aim of a 15-month completion from start to finish.

But issues still remaining include the fact that the Britannia boathouse, next to the stadium, will need to be completely rebuilt before the Peter Taylor Stand work can begin. It is estimated the redevelopment will cost more than £94 million.

Speaking about the latest news on the delay to lease talks and the uncertainty created by them, supporters trust member Elliot Stanley said: “The council has got problems of its own, but we’ve got this opportunity with (Evangelos) Marinakis to invest in the City Ground and ultimately, if the council can’t sort it then something above it should be able to.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis

“Marinakis is willing to spend the money on this stadium, so we have to find a way to make it happen. The issue at the moment is the council has all of these financial issues, but having Forest move out of town isn’t going to help.

“It doesn’t bear thinking about.” Mr Stanley said that having an owner willing to spend as much money on a stadium as Marinakis has pledged is “quite rare” and that the city council is not a “commercial organisation.”

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council added: “We know Forest’s importance to our city and are extremely proud of their recent success – as we are with other sporting clubs like Notts County, the Panthers and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. We also have a statutory duty to ensure best value for taxpayers in finding an agreement which works for both the local authority and the club.

“The council remains committed to further negotiations to find the best way forward and has offered to continue dialogue. We understand Forest’s need for a swift resolution and their ambition for expansion which will bring benefit to the area, and will work with them on a solution which meets their aims and our statutory responsibilities.”

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