NafisaNottingham Forest’s City Ground Sale Delayed Beyond Christmas Target
The long-awaited sale of Nottingham Forest’s iconic City Ground by Nottingham City Council is unlikely to be completed before Christmas, despite assurances from the club that the deal remains “on course.” The Labour-led council had announced earlier this year that it would sell the freehold of the ground to Nottingham Forest, ending its role as the landowner.
This development follows months of wrangling over a proposed rent hike that would have seen Forest’s annual payment soar from £250,000 to over £1 million. Although terms of the agreement were made public in July, the council leader admitted as recently as November that she had not received any updates.
However, Councillor Neghat Khan has now met with Forest’s chairman, Nicholas Randall, who reassured her that the sale should be finalised by April 2024, the end of the financial year. Randall recently returned to the chairman role after Tom Cartledge stepped down in October.
Speaking about the latest progress, Councillor Khan said: “I met Nicholas Randall at a university civic event and I said, ‘Has anything changed?’ He said, ‘No, it’s still all on course,’ so hopefully, fingers crossed. That’s something we wanted before Christmas. It’s not been able to happen. Hopefully before the end of the financial year we can get that sorted.”
The council leader expressed optimism about the sale but acknowledged that further discussions with Forest are required, adding: “It sounds brilliant. I’m just waiting for the invite to go to the club and have a discussion, but I’m confident that that will happen.”
Forest has previously stated that purchasing the freehold is contingent on securing planning permissions for its ambitious redevelopment plans. While Nottingham City Council owns the land, planning decisions fall under Rushcliffe Borough Council’s remit.
Planning permission granted in 2022 includes expanding the Peter Taylor Stand to 10,000 seats, alongside approval for a residential apartment block with 169 units. More recently, in May 2024, plans for new hospitality buildings flanking the Trent End Stand were approved.
Further proposals aim to improve or extend the Bridgford Stand and upgrade other areas of the stadium. These efforts form part of a broader vision to increase capacity from nearly 30,000 to 40,000, cementing the City Ground’s status as a top-tier football venue.
Nottingham Forest declined to comment on the matter, but the club’s intentions
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