Back in 2019, Nottingham Forest revealed plans to redevelop the Peter Taylor Stand at the City Ground.
The plan at the time was to knock down the current stand and rebuild a new one with a capacity of 10,000 to boost the City Ground's overall capacity to over 38,000.
The stand was set to be all-seated and three-tiered, with executive boxes and corporate facilities included. New changing rooms for the players inside the stand, as well as a new club museum and new club shop, were also announced.
However, shortly after announcing these plans, the Covid pandemic struck, and many football clubs across the UK were forced to put grand financial plans on hold.
Nottingham Forest new stand plans still alive
Five years later, after first unveiling the plans, Nottingham Forest are set to re-commence their Peter Taylor Stand renovation this summer, provided they get the green light from Nottingham City Council.
That isn't the only work set to take place at the City Ground, however. The club is now also pressing forward with plans to increase the Bridgford Stand at one end of the stadium by 5,000 seats. Additionally, Nottingham Forest wants to build a brand new training facility.
Club chairman, Tom Cartledge, said in February 2024:
“If the city council gives us the nod, the owner wants me to get on with everything straight away. The owner’s appetite hasn’t stopped. He is trying to spend, where appropriate, to improve the fan experience and increase the capacity. We can read into that he wants to stay here.”
“I don’t think there has ever been a project in this city, across all its assets, where somebody is prepared to put in between £100m and £200m, as our owner is for both the Peter Taylor Stand and the Bridgford Stand. It will create a huge number of jobs. Hotel rooms will be full, restaurants will be full. The benefits for the city will be huge.”
Cartledge has also previously made public his desire to relocate from the City Ground altogether, largely due to strained relations with the council.
Uncertainty over future of City Ground expansion following stalled council talks
In March 2024, Cartledge announced that the club were considering moving away from the City Ground following a disagreement over the lease where the stadium sits.
The council reportedly wanted Forest to increase their rent from £250,000 to £1 million a year in the event that they extended the lease.
This led to the club hierarchy exploring local areas to build a potential new stadium. There is land space near Toton, which was discussed as an area in which Forest could build a 50,000-capacity facility in the future.
Reds fans were disappointed with this revelation and were even heard chanting anti-Toton songs in their final home game of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
In May, Daniel Taylor of The Athletic reported that Forest were offered the chance to buy the City Ground freehold for £10 million. This led to more positive talks in the next couple of months, with the City Council announcing on 8 July that they had agreed a deal in principle to sell the City Ground land to the two-time European champions.
Forest responded with the following statement on 8 July, though, “After today’s comments from the leader of the City Council, the Club wishes to clarify the situation for supporters and stakeholders regarding the freehold for The City Ground.
“For absolute clarity, we continue to work on the terms for a conditional deal for the purchase of the freehold. Any decision to purchase the freehold will be entirely conditional on Nottingham Forest first being granted the relevant permissions that will allow us to realise 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.
“Our discussions remain confidential and the Club will update fans when meaningful progress has been achieved.”