Nottingham Forest stadium upgrade could get delayed for ‘another season’ – Keith Wyness
Nottingham Forest’s plans to redevelop the City Ground could be about to take a huge step back as they await planning permission to demolish houses next to the stadium.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that owner Evangelos Marinakis is pushing the local council to get their approval as soon as possible.
This comes after chairman Nicholas Randall KC suggested that the club are hopeful they will be granted permission to begin the demolition work in September.
Wyness has made it clear that while he expects the permission to be granted by the council, it would place a serious delay on Forest’s plans for the upgrades.
The Reds’ plans for the redevelopment of the Peter Taylor Stand have been clear for several months now, but work cannot begin until the permission is granted.
The building work will take the City Ground’s capacity up to around 45,000, but Wyness has warned that any delay could push the start of the project back another year.
Nottingham Forest approaching ‘point of no return’
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Forest will be at the “point of no return” with their redevelopment plans, once the local council reach their verdict.
The Scottish businessman outlined that owners can sometimes delay things behind the scenes when it comes to stadium upgrades, but does not believe that is the case with Marinakis.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, he made it clear that the Greek is the driving force behind the project.
“I was down in Nottingham the other weekend, and I had a look around the City Ground to see where the new stand development would be and the houses in question,” Wyness said.
“It's crucial, obviously. At the moment, everything is still an artist's impression. And until you get that permission to knock down those houses, then I'm afraid you're stuck. If that doesn't happen for whatever reason, then that's a big issue for them to resolve and that could delay things for another season.
“I don't think Marinakis is trying to manufacture a delay. I've seen that before when people have actually manufactured delays in planning processes on purpose to push things back a season or whatever for finance. But I think he is pushing to try and get it done.
“I would expect it to go through, but that will be a big sign when it does go through that things are going to move forward, and then you're at the point of no return. You've really got to push things forward quickly.”
Nottingham Forest ‘working hard’ to agree Lucas Bergvall deal
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Forest are “working hard” to convince Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall to join them this summer.
The Swedish starlet is looking for a route out of North London this summer, and the Reds have emerged as a clear suitor for the 20-year-old.
Brown revealed that conversations have been held behind the scenes at the City Ground over signing Bergvall, with the club working to try and tempt him into joining their project.
However, he also noted that Forest will not make concrete progress towards a deal unless they receive a positive indication from the player.