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Wednesday, December 11, 2024

West Bridgford residents feel ‘in the dark’ over Nottingham Forest City Ground plans

Residents living near Nottingham Forest’s City Ground say they feel “kept in the dark” over its planned redevelopment.

The club first unveiled its plans to create a new, world-class Peter Taylor Stand and make improvements to the Trentside area, Brian Clough and Bridgford Stands, in 2019.

Proposals to redevelop the Peter Taylor stand, create a new public realm, replacement club shop and car parking, were then granted planning permission by Rushcliffe Borough Council in July 2022.

Outline permission for a block of up to 170 residential units was also granted by the authority at the same time.

The plans would have seen capacity increase to 38,000.

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However, issues ranging from the Covid pandemic to, more recently, stalled negotiations between the club and landowners Nottingham City Council mean work is yet to begin.

Residents living in Colwick Road, which leads up to the Bridgford Stand, say they’ve had no visits from club officials except for when anti-terror barriers were installed at the end of the street in January 2022.

Jane, who asked to be referred to by her first name only, has been living in Colwick Road since 1988.

Her semi-detached house sits almost directly under the Bridgford Stand and close to one of a number of vacant properties on the street which are already owned by the club.

The potential impacts on residents living in Colwick Road became more apparent when club revealed a new masterplan in February, several months after the appointment of chairman Tom Cartledge.

The club said it had plans to further extend the Bridgford Stand to cater for an extra 5,000 fans, helping to bring the capacity to 40,000.

Jane recalled the previous redevelopment of the Bridgford Stand in 1992, when work began to increase its capacity to 7,710 people.

Its roof shape was a planning requirement to allow sunlight to reach her home, and others, in Colwick Road.

“When they were piling the foundations it made my house shake,” she said.

“It was horrendous.”

She said she would support the redevelopment of the stand, but only if the club promised a new stadium entrance would not be created in Colwick Road.

According to documents on the Land Registry the club already owns a number of properties on Colwick Road.

They were previously used by the club as accommodation for young players.

A man and a woman, who have lived in Colwick Road since the 1990s, said they felt they had been “kept in the dark” over the plans.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Before Covid the youngsters used to live in the houses, but we’ve now got them sitting empty.

“Forest said they would only do the Bridgford Stand when they’re an established Premier League team, but when is that? Teams can get knocked down at a moment’s notice.”

Despite being a Forest season ticket holder himself, the man said he fears losing light in the street if the Bridgford Stand is extended.

“We would object,” he said.

Another resident, Helen, said she has been living on the street for five years.

“We like living here,” she said. “People say they wouldn’t like to live here, but when Take That were here we all sat outside in the street and listened.

“But it is very uncertain. I keep wondering if [the club] will have to demolish the houses.”

For now, the club only has planning permission for the redevelopment of the Peter Taylor stand. Any redevelopment of the Bridgford Stand would be subject to consent from Rushcliffe Borough Council as the planning authority.

Earlier this year the club sought to negotiate its lease extension to 250 years from landowners Nottingham City Council.

With only 33 years left on the existing lease for the City Ground land, it was seen as critical for the club to realise its plans.

However, negotiations collapsed after the council asked for a larger sum for the lease, reportedly rising from £250,000 a year to around £1m, following Nottingham Forest’s promotion to the Premier League.

The council said at the time it was legally bound to make sure it achieves best value in decisions, particularly after declaring effective bankruptcy and the appointment of Government commissioners in February.

After negotiations between the club and the council restarted, senior city councillors agreed to sell the freehold during a meeting on July 16 for an undisclosed sum.

The leader of the authority, Cllr Neghat Khan (Lab), previously said: “So now that means we have done everything within Nottingham City Council to get the approval to get that deal done. Now all will be subject to signing legal contracts.”

In a statement, which the club says still stands, it says it “continues to work on the terms for a conditional deal for the purchase of the freehold”.

The club added the purchase is “entirely conditional on Nottingham Forest first being granted the relevant permissions that will allow us to realise our hugely ambitious plans our hugely ambitious plans for a significantly larger stadium capacity, world-class hospitality spaces and associated substantial real estate development in the vicinity of the ground”.

Cllr Neil Clarke (Con), the leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, said should any further plans come forward “these will go through our usual independent planning process”.

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