Nottingham Forest City Ground changes underway to meet 'incredible demand'
Construction & Build
The Reds are currently adding two new hospitality areas made out of modified shipping containers at the corners of the Trent End.
Work is underway at Nottingham Forest's City Ground as a stop-gap solution is fitted to help the stadium cope with 'incredible demand'. The Reds are currently adding two new hospitality areas made out of modified shipping containers at the corners of the Trent End.
Work appears to have now started on the two hospitality areas, which are made out of modified shipping containers, being fitted at the corners of the Trent End. The current gaps between the stand, which backs onto the River Trent, and the Brian Clough and Peter Taylor stands will be filled with 20 private hospitality pods when the work is finished. Each hospitality pod will have a capacity of 18 fans, providing an overall extra capacity of 360.
Every pod will be equipped with a dedicated hospitality area that will include a kitchenette and have "unobstructed views" of the pitch, according to planning documents. Room for the temporary hospitality zones is being created through the demolition of the existing Lower Brian Clough turnstiles and an irrigation tank, and fans previously spotted that the ground's Trent End screen was relocated to make space for the new additions.
Chairman Tom Cartledge has in the past said the club will use container stands to temporarily increase attendance while the City Ground's multi-million-pound transformation project progresses. Should Forest finally conclude a deal to buy the Nottingham City Council-owned land on which the City Ground stands, club owner Evangelos Marinakis' long-term vision is to increase the capacity of the Peter Taylor stand by knocking it down and rebuilding it.
When asking for planning permission for the new hospitality zones, Newark-based architects BENOY said: "The proposed development will represent continued improvement of match day facilities at the City Ground, responding to the incredible demand for additional space, reflecting the club’s status in the Premier League.
"The proposed development will also ensure compliance with Premier League standards for hospitality and media facilities, especially during closures and redevelopment phases of the Peter Taylor Stand." The wider City Ground redevelopment project was given permission by Rushcliffe Borough Council in the summer of 2022, but work is yet to start as certain conditions need to be met - including the demolition and relocation of boathouses by the River Trent.
Written by Joshua Hartley Senior reporter at Nottinghamshire Live