Nottingham Forest: The City Ground's nearly £100m revamp gets the green-light

Nottingham Forest's City Ground will undergo a near £100m redevelopment after plans were approved by councillors.

Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee sat down on Thursday (28 July) to discuss the plans.

The redevelopment will see the Peter Taylor Stand demolished and rebuilt to double its capacity from 5,000 to 10,000 spectators.

It would make it the tallest of the four stands at the stadium.

Following a nearly two-and-half hour meeting, the plans were given the green light - with nine councillors voting in favour and only two against.

It comes as Forest are a week away from beginning the campaign in the Premier League after a 23 year absence.

The current stand, which the council says is "outdated" and "lacks facilities usually associated with modern football clubs", will be demolished at the end of the current football season, which finishes in May 2023.

The rebuilt stand is then expected to be constructed throughout the 2023/24 season.

So what can Nottingham Forest fans expect?

The redeveloped stand will feature business and commercial facilities including hospitality suites and boxes, with one conference room able to hold as many as 1,200 people.

A rebuilt club shop will also be created on the southwest corner of the new stand, while a plaza will be created for pedestrian access and car parking.

The boathouse, which has been in the area for more than 100 years, is listed as an asset of community value and the club may require planning permission to complete this work before the stadium development takes place.Once the work has been completed, the club will be able to progress with a 13-floor, 169-unit residential block sitting adjacent to the nearby Bridgford House apartments.

The new block, which has been reduced from 250 units, will include 88 one-bedroom, 76 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom flats.Under planning conditions approved in Thursday's meeting, the residential block can only come forward once all construction is completed on the stadium redevelopment and the boathouse.

As many as 253 jobs could be created locally within the construction phase, while, the club expects an additional 100 jobs to be created in-house alongside a 20 per cent rise in flexible, matchday staff.The club hoping to have all work complete by the end of that season in time for a summer 2024 opening.