Nottingham Forest's City Ground work appears to start after months of speculation

Work seems to have started on new additions at Nottingham Forest's City Ground - after months of speculation that the club might eventually move away from its historic home. Pictures suggest work is starting on new hospitality zones, which were given planning approval by Rushcliffe Borough Council in May.

The two hospitality areas, which are made out of modified shipping containers, will be fitted at the corners of the Trent End. Fans have spotted that the ground's Trent End screen, which is used for replays and messages, is being moved to make space for the new additions.

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. Each proposed hospitality pod will have a capacity of 18 fans, putting the overall extra capacity at 360.

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Every pod will be equipped with a dedicated hospitality area that will include a kitchenette and have "unobstructed views" of the pitch, planning documents explain. Room for the temporary hospitality zones would be created by demolishing the existing Lower Brian Clough turnstiles and Irrigation Tank House.

The improvements to the City Ground come after months of speculation over whether the Reds will move away from their long-time home. Forest's unveiling of a multi-million pound revamp plan for the City Ground in 2019 led the city council, which owns the land it sits on, to increase rent from £250,000 a year to "north of a million."

But following the election of new Nottingham City Council leader Councillor Neghat Khan, who asked for a face-to-face meeting with Forest, talks now appear to have resumed. Should Forest remain at the City Ground, the club's owner Evangelos Marinakis's long-term vision is to increase the capacity of the Peter Taylor stand by knocking it down and rebuilding it.

Approval for those plans was given 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. The hospitality areas, which are apparently under construction, are one of the measures designed to help meet fan demand in the meantime.

Councillor Liz Plant, who represents Labour for the Trent Bridge ward, had initially objected to the development, fearing it would increase parking problems nearby. Nottinghamshire County Council had also raised concerns about this increase in parking demand without any increase in supply.

These concerns were dropped when Nottingham Forest provided more information about travel arrangements. The club was contacted for comment on the work at the City Ground.

In a Rushcliffe Borough Council document a planning officer said: "Whilst the structures are not considered appropriate as a permanent form of development, it is considered that they would be appropriate on a temporary basis to allow the club to provide hospitality offerings during the construction phases of the Peter Taylor stand redevelopment."