£2.6m regeneration is being planned for Forest Rec sports zone
AGEING parts of the sports zone at the Forest Recreation Ground will be transformed with a new all-weather football pitch and an extended community building in a £2.6m regeneration project.
The initial Forest Recreation Ground Sports Zone was completed in 2015, while the multi-use activity pitch was provided in 2007 with money from Sports England. The lower pitch is in the zone.
However, according to Nottingham City Council, the lower sand and artificial grass football pitch is now “past its operational best and requires replacement” and the existing community building is no longer adequate.
Under the plans, which are set to be discussed and approved at an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, the sand-based football pitch will be transformed into a new £1m third-generation (3G) rubber crumb football pitch and a 90-metre square extension will be added to the community building.
Access and fencing will also be improved.
“The multi-use activity pitch is now in need of replacement, and as the facility is part of the Forest Sport Zone (FSZ), the opportunity to upgrade the facility has been identified as a more suitable option rather than just renewing a sandbased pitch,” a council report says.
“The FSZ has been directly managed by Nottingham Forest Community Trust since its construction in 2015. It has become a very well-used and integral asset for the community.
“It has developed a national reputation and is renowned as being one of the most heavily utilised football multi-use sports facilities in the country.
“The proposals will continue to meet the local demand and help to improve the availability to 3G facilities and provide improved access arrangements around the site.”
The facility is managed by the council with the Nottingham Forest Community Trust, which has pledged £300,000 for the project.
Nottingham Trent University will also be pledging £500,000 alongside almost £1.8m in additional funding from the Football Foundation, which is subject to confirmation.
A condition and contractual obligation of the Sport England grant for the sports zone and pitch was that the council should set aside money to help replace and upgrade the existing sand-based pitch when it came to the end of its life.
From this fund, £260,000 will also be used to help pay for the project.
Under the funding terms from Nottingham Trent University, it will be granted a licence giving it the right to use the pitches for 26 weeks a year, based on university term periods, and 21 hours per week of usage including weekday evenings and each Wednesday from noon. Documents show construction should begin in around February 2025 and the project completed by August 2025.