Go-ahead for Nottingham Forest’s City Ground expansion plans

Nottingham Forest’s £790 million plans to expand the City Ground and increase its capacity have been given the green light by Rushcliffe Borough Council’s planning committee.

Plans to expand the City Ground to a 52,500-capacity stadium were officially approved on September 16 and the landmark decision secures the long-term future of the historic venue, transforming it into the largest football stadium in the East Midlands.

The redevelopment will be executed in two distinct phases to allow the club to continue playing at home.

Phase 1 focuses on the complete demolition and rebuild of the Peter Taylor Stand, tripling its capacity to 15,000 seats, alongside infilling the corners of the Trent End to reach 45,000 seats.

Phase 2 will expand the Brian Clough Stand, adding another 7,500 seats to hit the final 52,500 target.

The plans also include a massive public plaza, which requires demolishing six properties on Rosebery Avenue and Colwick Road, and a cantilevered walkway overlooking the River Trent.

The new Peter Taylor Stand will feature state-of-the-art media facilities, hospitality suites, and a public restaurant.

The 2026 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition – focused on elevating the live experience across the sports and entertainment ecosystem – is being hosted at Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on October 1st and 2nd, with an Opening Night Icebreaker at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium on September 30th.

Enabling works, including relocating the club shop to Radcliffe Road, are expected to start soon, with heavy construction on the main stand scheduled for summer 2027.

The full build will take about four years. Before major work begins, the club must satisfy strict conditions, including resolving matchday crowd congestion near Trent Bridge—potentially funding a new pedestrian bridge—and establishing a replacement facility for the Nottingham Rowing Club, whose current boathouse must be demolished to make way for the expansion.

Leader of the Council Cllr Neil Clarke said: “Given the significance of these latest applications I am very pleased the Planning Committee, through its independent process, saw it fit to grant permission to assist the club with its plans.

“I am very pleased that the applications have now been passed and we look forward to working with the club further as they progress.”

Safe standing expansion

Meanwhile, the club has also announced the further expansion of safe standing at the City Ground, with the front sections of the Lower John Robertson Stand now included.

Safe standing has already been introduced in the rear sections of the lower John Robertson Stand, as well as Blocks U1 and U2 in the upper John Robertson Stand and a section of Block P in the upper Brian Clough Stand.

This latest expansion means safe standing will now be available throughout the lower John Robertson Stand, giving more supporters the opportunity to stand during matches and helping to maintain the famous atmosphere that makes the City Ground such a special place to watch football.

As well as helping to maintain the positive atmosphere, safe standing was introduced at the City Ground in 2024 to help tackle the issue of persistent standing, which presented the Club with serious safety concerns that were being closely monitored by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority.

Images KSS and source Nottingham Forest

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