Plans have been lodged to increase the capacity of Nottingham Forest鈥檚 City Ground from its current 30,445 to around 52,000.
The club鈥檚 owner, Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis, said he was planning 鈥渁 significant investment鈥� to deliver 鈥渁 sustainable and iconic鈥� stadium expansion that would will be 鈥渁n integral part of the economic growth of the city and the wider region鈥�.
Architect for the plan is KSS Design Group, which is also working on planned expansions of Anfield for Liverpool FC and Elland Road for Leeds United. The client team also includes Buro Happold, Gleeds and Savills.
In a statement, the club said: 鈥淲e look forward to working with the Mayor of the East Midlands, Rushcliffe Borough Council, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council, as well as our supporters and the wider community, to achieve a successful outcome in the near future.鈥�
Last year the club secured planning permission from Rushcliffe Borough Council for a less ambitious expansion plan, to increase capacity to 35,000 by demolishing and rebuilding its Peter Taylor Stand. These plans have now been shelved.
Konstantinos Chatzimanolis, an architect formerly with Foster & Partners, has also been working with the club on its expansion plans since April last year.
James Faflik, senior director and project lead at Gleeds, said: 鈥淗aving worked closely with the club for several years on their stadium and training facility upgrades, I鈥檓 privileged to have led the professional team on this transformative stadium redevelopment plan. This project will deliver significant benefits for fans, the local economy and the wider area. I look forward to collaborating with the club and the team to bring this vision to life following the planning application submission.鈥�
Gleeds regional director Matt Darby added: 鈥淕leeds has built a strong relationship with Nottingham Forest FC over the years, so we鈥檙e incredibly proud to have been appointed to provide strategic, project and cost management services on this major design. Feedback across the board 鈥� from local businesses, councillors, season ticket holders and other stakeholders 鈥� has been enormously positive, so we鈥檙e hopeful that the council鈥檚 decision will reflect the optimism of the fans and the club. Expanding the ground and turning this ambitious vision into a deliverable reality is no mean feat, and we鈥檙e looking forward to maintaining our ties with this fantastic football club as the project progresses.鈥�