Nottingham Forest have this week revealed a stunning new look of their £100m City Ground redevelopment plans.
The City Ground has not undergone any major work since 1994 but are hopeful building work will commence at the end of the 2019/20 season.
The plans will see a new 10,000 seat Main Stand, increasing the stadium’s capacity to over 38,000, along with improvements to the Trentside area, Brian Clough and Bridgford Stands.
The new Peter Taylor Stand will see the introduction of world-class facilities including a museum, a new club shop, range of hospitality lounge options and restaurants and executive boxes.
Tom Cartledge, lead architect and CEO of Benoy – the architecture firm behind the multi-million pound project – says: “Personally it’s been incredibly frustrating because I’ve not been able to tell many people.
“I have been surrounded by Forest fans in the stand, and at home and in the pub! They’ve been desperate to know!
“On a project like this there’s a huge amount of things that you have to bring together.
“We’ve done a lot of consultation work, both within the club – working with the players and the management to understand what world-class facilities look like for them on matchdays, in terms of changing rooms and other facilities.
“But then also working with the corporate team here to really understand what the opportunities are for a diverse mix of premium seating.
“And then you’re also really looking at the stadium and the stand itself, in terms of its design and how it’s in keeping with the other stands and respecting the local community and the neighbourhood – as well as the challenges around integrating what is a large building into an urban area.
“There has been a huge amount of work and the work doesn’t stop now.”
? @NFFC have revealed plans to expand the City Ground.
? Stadium capacity will increase to 38,000…
? …including knocking down the Peter Taylor Stand & building a new 10,000-seater instead.
? Owner Evangelos Marinakis: “This is our home and we will remain here forever”. pic.twitter.com/QawKFpA6ik
— SPORF (@Sporf) March 1, 2019
Back in February, Evangelos Marinakis said: “We have made steady progress since our arrival and you, the fans, have been central to this. The record season-card figures and the record average attendances illustrate your passion and backing to our team and our vision.
“From the very beginning our strategy has been not to make promises but to deliver. We were clear when we said we wanted our actions to speak louder than our words. After more than a year of consultation, we are now delighted to be able to present you our vision for The New City Ground.
“I would like to thank Councillors Jon Collins and Simon Robinson and all the representatives of both the City and Rushcliffe Borough councils for their co-operation and engagement in this project.
“The City Ground has iconic history and memories for our supporters and these legacies were fundamental in our decision us to remain on the banks of the River Trent and not relocating to an alternative site. This is our home and we will remain here forever.
“We want our supporters to play an important role in the decision-making of the club. Our intention is to now consult with our supporters and the wider Nottingham public to gain your views before making a formal planning application. I encourage you all to participate.
“This investment is about our club and the city of Nottingham and we are all committed together to deliver a place that we will all feel proud of, The New City Ground, our home forever.”
Supporters of Nottingham Forest were asked to give their verdict on the new look stadium, the majority loved it and others had queries on the roof of one stand – see those tweets on the next page.
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