Drivers could face new matchday parking restrictions across large parts of West Bridgford, Lady Bay and areas north of the River Trent under proposals linked to Nottingham Forest’s City Ground expansion.
An initial Stadium Event Day Controlled Parking Zone would cover an estimated 4,800 on-street spaces not already subject to parking controls.
The zone forms part of an event transport strategy submitted with the club’s applications to increase the City Ground’s capacity from around 30,000 to as many as 52,500 spectators.
No controlled parking zone has yet been approved. Its final boundary, operating hours and restrictions would have to be agreed with the relevant councils and would be subject to consultation with residents.
The initial proposal is for restrictions to operate for eight hours on stadium event days, beginning four hours before kick-off and ending four hours after kick-off. For a typical football match, this would mean controls remaining in place until around two hours after the final whistle.
The transport assessment says the restrictions could reserve parking for residents and businesses with permits or extend the hours during which existing controls apply. The exact arrangements have not yet been decided.
Nottingham Forest has been working with Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council on the proposal. The report says the club would be willing to contribute towards the physical implementation of the zone but would not be responsible for its maintenance or enforcement.
It states that Rushcliffe Borough Council would be responsible for enforcement and would retain money raised through parking fines. The report also recommends that Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council introduce the scheme through separate zones, allowing residents in different areas to express whether they want controls where they live.
The suggested boundary covers much of West Bridgford and Lady Bay as well as an area north of the river. The report says a zoned approach could prevent opposition in one neighbourhood from delaying restrictions elsewhere.
Parking surveys previously submitted as part of Forest’s earlier stadium application suggest the area is already under considerable pressure on matchdays.
The figures were collected during a Saturday match against Blackburn Rovers, attended by 27,786 people. Around 50 per cent of the available spaces were occupied at 21:00, which was treated as the normal background level, compared with 87 per cent during the match.
Because the attendance was below Forest’s 2025/26 Premier League average of 30,450, the assessment adjusted the results to estimate that around 91 per cent of spaces would be occupied during a match attracting an average attendance.
The report estimates that streets and other parking within the proposed zone, including parking at County Hall, currently accommodate around 3,000 matchday vehicles.
It cautions that the parking survey was prepared for the club’s previous planning application and may not reflect changes to parking availability since then.
New restrictions were introduced on several West Bridgford roads in March 2025 following consultation dating back to 2023. Charges now apply after the first 30 minutes between 08:00 and 20:00 on Albert Road, Florence Road, Gordon Road, Gordon Square, Rectory Road, Priory Road, Bridgford Road, Church Drive, Davies Road, Fox Road and Hound Road.
However, the transport assessment says much of the surrounding area remains unrestricted and that parking is concentrated on residential streets and industrial sites close to the stadium.
It says many nearby matchday car parks accept cash or payment on arrival rather than advance bookings. This can lead to queues and drivers circulating through surrounding streets when car parks are full.
Under the new strategy, Forest would stop officially promoting independent car parks requiring cash or payment on the day. Supporters who continue to drive would instead be directed towards pre-booked spaces, Park and Ride sites and car parks outside West Bridgford and Lady Bay.
The club proposes offering supporters a Park and Ride package costing around £7 per vehicle. This would guarantee a space and include tram day tickets for the driver and up to three passengers.
More than 5,000 spaces are available across Nottingham’s seven tram-connected Park and Ride sites. Surveys carried out in 2026 found that the three nearest sites remained well below capacity on matchdays, although Racecourse and Queens Drive are currently closed on Sundays and have reduced Saturday opening hours.
The assessment says more than 11,000 other spaces are available within a 20-minute walk of the City Ground or a short tram journey. Nottingham railway station and Nottingham Emmanuel School are identified as examples of car parks that could be promoted routinely, while sites at Meadows Embankment and Meadow Lane would be advertised when greater demand was expected.
County Hall currently has space for 603 vehicles and operates matchday parking under an agreement with Forest, with remaining spaces sold to supporters on the day. The assessment treats public matchday parking there as being discontinued but proposes retaining arrangements for staff parking at County Hall and the Environment Agency offices.
Parking inside the City Ground would also be reduced. The stadium currently has 375 spaces, including 41 accessible bays, but the proposals would remove 143 spaces and leave around 232.
The Peter Taylor Stand car park would be reduced to nine spaces, with the remaining land used for a pedestrian plaza. On matchdays, all stadium parking would be pre-booked and limited to operational staff, accessible visitors and VIPs, with no general supporter parking allowed.
Modelling commissioned for the application predicts the controlled parking zone could substantially reduce the number of matchday vehicles entering West Bridgford by redirecting drivers towards Park and Ride facilities and parking elsewhere in Nottingham.
In a scenario where the stadium expands without reducing the proportion of supporters who drive, the modelling forecasts around 1,500 fewer vehicles entering West Bridgford but approximately 1,000 more travelling into Nottingham. Under the club’s preferred scenario, which also assumes more supporters switch to public transport or share cars, vehicle movements in both West Bridgford and Nottingham are forecast to fall.
The controlled parking zone remains an initial proposal within the transport assessment rather than a confirmed scheme. Its introduction would require further work by the councils, agreement over funding and enforcement, and consultation with the affected residents and businesses.