Nottingham Forest Football Club has submitted a planning application to Rushcliffe Borough Council seeking permission to replace existing changing rooms at its academy site in Gresham Close, West Bridgford, with a new two-storey temporary building.
The application relates to the club’s sports academy and proposes the demolition of the current changing room structure, to be replaced with a modular building for a temporary period of five years. The ground floor would provide updated changing facilities, while the first floor would accommodate classroom space, offices, a breakout area and WCs currently housed within the main academy building.
Planning documents confirm that similar replacement facilities were previously granted permission on 20 May 2021, although that consent was not implemented.
A subsequent alternative scheme elsewhere on the training ground was approved on 4 March 2022, but this too was not progressed while the club explored longer-term plans for the site.
The latest submission states that the condition of the existing changing rooms has deteriorated further in recent years. The proposed ground floor layout would replace four large changing rooms with a greater number of smaller rooms, each with its own WC and shower facilities. The club says this configuration is required to meet safeguarding requirements for different academy age groups and to maintain Category 1 academy standards while longer-term redevelopment plans are developed.
At first floor level, the building would re-provide classroom, office and breakout space currently located within the main academy building. The application makes clear these are not additional facilities and would not increase the number of academy players, matches or staff. Instead, the reconfiguration would allow the existing academy building to create a dedicated reception and parents’ lounge, replacing the current arrangement where parents use the players’ canteen as a waiting area.
To address concerns about intensification of use, the club has indicated it is willing to enter into a Unilateral Undertaking to secure the necessary internal changes and ensure there is no increase in overall classroom or office floorspace at the site.
The academy site lies within the main urban area of West Bridgford and forms part of the established Nottingham Forest training complex. Planning documents state the proposal would not result in additional traffic movements or parking demand, with all existing parking spaces retained. The red line application area includes connectivity to the highway but does not propose changes to parking arrangements.
The building has been positioned within the core of the site, more than 150 metres from the nearest residential properties, and on existing hardstanding where the current changing room structure sits. The application states that the modular construction method would allow most of the building to be assembled off-site, reducing the length of the construction period and limiting potential disruption from construction traffic.
The site is located within a defended flood risk area, as is much of West Bridgford. An updated Flood Risk Assessment accompanies the application and proposes an appropriate finished floor level, taking account of the temporary nature of the development. The documents conclude the scheme is suitable for its location.
In terms of landscaping, established silver birch trees at the edge of the existing car park are proposed to be retained, with only minor pruning required where branches overhang the external staircase. The development affects less than 25 square metres of habitat and is therefore considered to fall within the de minimis exemption from statutory Biodiversity Net Gain requirements.
The application has been submitted with a covering letter, design and access information, site plans, building drawings and the Flood Risk Assessment, alongside the required planning fee. Rushcliffe Borough Council will now assess the proposal in accordance with its development plan policies and national planning guidance before reaching a decision.
If approved, the temporary building would provide updated academy facilities for a five-year period while the club continues to develop its longer-term strategy for the training ground site.
