Nottingham Forest have confirmed that they have submitted planning applications to increase the capacity of the City Ground to around 52,500.
Forest previously received the green light from Rushcliffe Borough Council in June to demolish and rebuild the Peter Taylor Stand, which will take the ground's capacity from around 30,000 to 35,000.
The Tricky Trees recently launched a public consultation on their plans to redevelop the whole stadium in a bid to take their capacity over the 50,000 mark.
Forest have now released a statement to reveal that they have taken a major step towards that objective with the submission of planning applications.
Forest take huge step towards City Ground redevelopment
In a post on their official X account, a club statement read: “Nottingham Forest is delighted to confirm the submission of planning applications for the redevelopment of the City Ground.
“Our home for over 120 years will see a significant investment made by our owner, Evangelos Marinakis, to deliver a sustainable and iconic design which increases the stadium’s capacity to over 50,000.
“The redevelopment will be an integral part of the economic growth of the city and the wider region. The club is grateful for the positive public engagement and overwhelming support shown for our proposals ahead of the planning submission.
“We would also like to thank our key partners, Gleeds, KSS Design Group, Buro Happold, and Savills for their support to date. We look forward to working with the Mayor of the East Midlands, Rushcliffe Borough Council, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council, as well as our supporters and the wider community, to achieve a successful outcome in the near future.
According to BBC News, work on the fresh proposals could start by the summer if the club receive all the necessary planning permission
FGG says: Pressure on team to match off-field ambitions
Based on current capacities, Forest's plan to significantly increase their capacity will make the City Ground one of the top 10 biggest football stadiums in England.
Marinakis clearly has plans to grow the club into one of the biggest in the country, but while there may be plenty of excitement over the proposals to redevelop the City Ground, the on-pitch results need to reflect the off-field ambition.
Forest are currently competing in the Europa League, but they are languishing in 17th place in the table and are just four points clear of danger. It would be a significant setback to drop into the Championship just as they look to improve the stadium. As a result, there is pressure on current boss Sean Dyche to spark an upturn in results sooner rather than later.