A Nottingham councillor has called on Nottingham Forest to “get back round the table and put the news story to bed” amid an ongoing row over the lease for the City Ground.
However, in an interview with the BBC and The Athletic, club chairman Tom Cartledge stated that talks to extend the lease so the team could begin stadium reconstruction plans have stopped due to council demands.
According to reports, the authority was looking to hike rent from £250,000 to nearly £1 million per year.
Mr Cartledge claimed in the Athletic on May 9 that no one from the council had come knocking on the club’s door, and he was becoming frustrated.
Cllr Steve Battlemuch (Lab), whose portfolio includes council-owned property, stated to the Local Democracy Reporting Service and Notts TV that the authority aims to “make it clear” that improvement is needed.
“I would much prefer we were not having this conversation,” he remarked, adding that he was speaking as a Reds fan and season ticket holder.
“You may call me a hypocrite for conducting the interview, but many remarked yesterday that the council isn’t speaking or aiding Forest.
“We want to be clear that we are open to conversations. We’re waiting for a counter-offer from the club.”
A contract in 2019 was stalled because the authority determined it did not meet the council’s statutory requirement to attain best consideration.
The council filed effective bankruptcy in November of last year, citing a multi-million-pound budget deficit, and government commissioners were appointed in February to supervise significant adjustments to how it works.
Commissioners will now ensure that the council provides the highest consideration and value in all aspects of its operations.
While negotiations involve the possibility of a lease extension, discussions have also taken place about the council selling the freehold to the land.
Cllr Battlemuch stated that commissioners would generally support the council’s decision to sell a lease or the freehold at a commercial rent.
“I think you have got a situation where we have a massive budget deficit, so the idea, if it ever existed, that the City Council could undervalue something in terms of a sale of the freehold or even undervalue a lease because of the other benefits that having the club here would bring, is just not going to fly when we have commissioners in from the Government looking at every budget line,” he stated.
“I certainly understand the value that having the club 500 yards from the city border provides. If a new stand be built, as a fan wishes, it would need renegotiating the lease due to the larger space.
The new lease terms would be for a 250-year period, which could cost the club a total of £250 million if the council’s new fee is agreed upon.
Nottingham Forest has consequently stated that it is examining other options, including maybe moving to Toton, where a stadium capable of accommodating 50,000 supporters could be erected.
The property at Toton was originally designated for the HS2 rail line. The planned station was then relocated to East Midlands Parkway, however the project was eventually scrapped, leaving the area unoccupied.
“The club has put that figure out there, clearly they talk about a big figure of £250m, but we are talking about a 250-year lease so we have got to think, it is not that amount of money up front is it?” Cllr. Battlemuch stated.
“There is also an option to buy the freehold and the council in-effect washes its hands of owning the land and that is still an option for discussion.”
When asked how much the freehold could cost the club, he replied, “It isn’t a big sum if we’re honest.
“I’m not prepared to get into the exact figures, but given the money the club has spent on players as I know as a fan of 60-odd years, I know it is not beyond the bounds of possibility the club could afford that.”
Cllr Battlemuch claimed that transferring the stadium to a different location, including Toton, would not be a “quick fix”.
He stated that moving the stadium and boosting seating capacity to 50,000 people “could be an aspiration for the club,” but only if it had been in the Premier League for several years and was stable.
“At the moment we are two years back, we have been flirting with relegation those two years and to risk maybe going to a 50,000-seater stadium might be too big a risk,” he stated.
“I know certain people will be drawn to it. However, the City Ground is only a short distance from the city’s boundaries.
“The ‘mist rolling in from the Trent’ is a song that people sing, they would not be wanting to be singing ‘the mist rolling in from Toton Sidings'” .
He stated that the council has spoken with the club as recently as February and March, when senior officers met with them.
“Lets get back round the table and put the news story to bed,” he said.
The protracted problem is causing frustration among long-time Reds fans.
Mark Jeffries, an Ilkeston fan who has been attending Forest games for 30 years, stated, “It’s home.
“You’ve got all the history here. It would be horrible to lose everything.
“Look at all these clubs that have moved to these grounds; they have lost their essence and tradition. Consider Man City, which has lost Main Road and is now completely dominated by tourists.
“It’s like a Mexican standoff. Who blinks first? Let us be honest: they are not going to move. Even in the Premier League, they are unlikely to fill Toton’s 50,000-seat stadium.
Gina Matthews, a Bulwell fan, added: “It would transform the face of football in Nottingham, which is one of the city’s defining characteristics.
“So many people are proud of the City Ground and to move it out of the city would be horrendous.”
Nottingham Forest Football Club declined to say further.
View more update on https://sportupdates.co.uk/
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