Nottingham Forest set to stay at City Ground after new land deal agreed with Nottingham City Council

Nottingham Forest look set to stay at the City Ground after Nottingham City Council agreed to sell the stadium’s land to the club, ending months of stalemate on its future.

The new land deal includes conditions to ensure the club stays at the City Ground ‘for a long time to come’, the council says.

It has been agreed by the two parties but not yet officially signed.

The iconic ground on the banks of the River Trent sits on land owned by the council, which is leased to the club on a long-term agreement.

But with only 33 years left on the current deal, talks on a new lease between the club and the council broke down earlier this year.

A fresh agreement is seen as critical for the club’s exisiting plans to redevelop the stadium, which would expand its capacity from 29,000 to 40,000 through the rebuilding of the Peter Taylor stand and extention of the Bridgford stand.

Negotiations collapsed after the council asked for a larger sum for the lease following Nottingham Forest’s promotion to the Premier League.

Reports suggested the authority was looking to increase rent from £250,000 to around £1m per year.

Alternatively, it offered to sell the freehold to the site to the club.

Talks between the council and the club had since been at an impasse, leading Forest to say they were considering a potential move to Toton to create a new 50,000-capacity stadium.

But Coun Neghat Khan (Lab), council leader, said a deal to sell the land to the club outright has now been agreed in principle, subject to approval by the council’s executive board at a public meeting held in public on July 16.

Coun Khan said: “We have agreed in principle the sale of the City Ground to Nottingham Forest, subject to approval.

“It’s a great deal for Forest supporters, for the club and also Nottingham taxpayers.”

Forest first announced plans to expand the stadium, the club’s home since 1898, back in 2019.

However, a new land deal ultimately did not progress because the city council decided the amount did not meet its obligation to ensure it was getting best value for taxpayers’ money.

The council then declared effective bankruptcy in November last year amid a multi-million pound budget deficit, and Government commissioners were appointed in February to oversee critical improvements over how the council operates.

Commissioners will now be ensuring the council achieves the best value in all areas of its operations.

The sale of the City Ground land freehold has been approved by the commissioners, and has undergone independent valuation.

Nottingham Forest posted on X: “We continue to work on the terms for a conditional deal for the purchase of the freehold.

"Any decision to purchase the freehold will be entirely conditional on Nottingham Forest first being granted the relevant permissions that will allow us to realise our hugely ambitious plans for a significantly larger stadium capacity, world-class hospitality spaces and associated substantial real estate development in the vicinity of the ground.

"Our discussions remain confidential and the club will update fans when meaningful progress has been achieved.”