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Nottingham Forest’s plans to increase the capacity of the City Ground have received a potential boost, with East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward indicating that regional transport funding could help deliver the project.
Although Ward has not committed to funding a new bridge over the River Trent, she confirmed that another crossing remains among the options being considered. The issue is particularly important because the proposed expansion would bring around 20,000 additional supporters to the stadium on every matchday, placing greater demands on the surrounding transport network.
FootballGroundsGuide has already examined what Nottingham Forest may have to build to complete the expansion, with improved access forming an important part of the wider discussion.
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City Ground expansion creates a transport challenge
Rushcliffe Borough Council, led by Matt Barney, approved Forest's redevelopment plans in September, allowing the stadium's capacity to rise from around 31,000 to more than 52,000. According to the Nottingham Post, the planning permission includes conditions requiring local roads to accommodate the additional traffic generated by the expansion.
The Nottingham Post also reported that Forest had proposed permanently closing two of the six vehicular lanes on Trent Bridge, one in each direction, to provide more space for pedestrians travelling to the stadium.
However, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council rejected the proposal, instead suggesting that another bridge could be built across the Trent alongside the Waterside Bridge near Lady Bay, which opened in June.
A further crossing would cost millions and is expected to be considerably more expensive than closing lanes on the existing bridge or pursuing other alternatives, according to the Nottingham Post. With the original proposal rejected, another bridge remains one of the options being discussed as the authorities consider how to manage the increased number of supporters travelling to the ground.
Mayor Claire Ward speaks out on bridge funding
Ward said in October that she could not rule out another vehicular crossing to help ease congestion on the A614 and A6097, where roadworks costing nearly £50m are under way.
The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) has around £2bn in government transport funding for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, with the City Ground identified as part of the ‘Trent Sports District' in documents published by the authority. The area also includes Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepont.
According to the Nottingham Post, EMCCA's documents identify potential investment in the district as an opportunity to support wider growth and help meet the sustainable transport conditions attached to Forest's stadium expansion.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Ward said that “a bridge might be one of the options, but it has not been determined”. She added that the authority would look to assist through investment that could help make the expansion work, while explaining that EMCCA's transport committee would oversee any funding allocated.
FGG says: Funding support could bring Forest's plans closer
There is still no firm commitment to a new bridge, but the possibility of regional investment gives Forest another potential way to address one of the biggest challenges facing the expansion. With around 20,000 additional supporters expected at the City Ground on matchdays, improving access to the stadium will be just as important as increasing its capacity.