Following rumors that they may move from the stadium, Nottingham Forest has “shown an interest” in expanding on land other than their existing City Ground site. The Premier League team Nottingham City Council has hired specialized agents to provide advice after negotiations to renew Forest’s lease at its historic stadium broke down.
For Forest, a move would be “unthinkable” after the club has played at the City Ground since 1898. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has called the stadium a “special” home for the team. Following the reports, the Nottinghamshire County Council’s Independent Alliance group demanded that the site at Toton that had been designated for HS2 be made available as a new
Following Forest’s expression of interest in county council land, Councillor Keith Girling, the cabinet member for economic development on the county council, has now confirmed that negotiations are already underway. Councillor Girling made the following statement during a meeting today, Thursday, March 21: “Officers and I have met with Nottingham Forest multiple times, and I will be signing a memorandum of understanding soon. To be very clear, Nottingham Forest made contact with us.”
At the county council meeting on Thursday, members ultimately supported a motion that said: “This council resolves to continue exploring options with Nottingham Forest Football Club stakeholders and others to try to secure the club’s future.” This could involve looking into any prospective county council locations that might be advertised for disposal in the future.”
As a season ticket holder for Nottingham Forest, Councillor David Martin, who proposed the resolution, stated: “This might be a big boost for the economies of the immediate surrounding communities in Broxtowe, such as Beeston and Stapleford… Since there would be almost twice as many people able to purchase tickets in a larger stadium, I do believe that many would still travel into the city and then cross over.
This is the situation in Manchester, where supporters lodge, dine, and socialize in the city center prior to making their way to the Etihad Stadium located in East Manchester. Whether you love football or not, everyone in our surrounding area gains from Nottingham Forest’s social and economic contributions.”
Councillor Girling continued, “We are treating them like any other developer who displays an interest in any of our land and property, but we do warn you that any development will take some time. When the time comes for us to reach an agreement, we’ll proceed as usual and follow the correct procedures to maximize the chance.”
