Nottingham Forest’s £790m City Ground expansion faces backlash with residents left out of pocket

Nottingham Forest's ambitious City Ground expansion project is facing local opposition over who should pay for changes to parking and transport around the stadium.

Residents could be forced to cover the cost of parking permits despite the club agreeing to contribute £4.17m towards surrounding infrastructure.

Nottingham Forest face local backlash over City Ground redevelopment plans

Forest's £790m plans will increase the City Ground‘s capacity from 31,000 to 52,000, raising concerns over congestion and a 68 per cent increase in matchday footfall.

As part of the planning approval, the club will contribute £4.17m towards transport improvements, including £424,900 for walking and cycling routes and £990,000 for a controlled parking zone covering around 4,800 spaces within a 25-minute walk of the stadium.

However, as revealed by City AM, Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee did not require Forest to fund residents' parking permits, meaning locals could have to pay for their own.

The council confirmed the £990,000 allocation does not include parking permits, while Forest said it would make a significant financial contribution and that the county council would decide how the money is spent.

The first phase will see the Peter Taylor Stand demolished and rebuilt alongside major improvements to the Trent End.

A second phase involving the Brian Clough Stand is yet to be fully ratified, with no official start date confirmed.

FGG says: Forest must ensure City Ground expansion works for local residents

A redevelopment of this scale is bound to have a major impact beyond the stadium itself, particularly when capacity is increasing by more than 20,000.

Forest's financial contribution towards transport infrastructure is significant, but the parking permit issue understandably leaves residents asking whether they are being asked to absorb some of the costs of a project they did not initiate.

For a club pursuing one of the biggest stadium redevelopments in English football, maintaining a positive relationship with the surrounding community should be an important part of the process.