'People swore at me for opposing City Ground expansion. I stand by my decision'

The only councillor to oppose Nottingham Forest's expansion of the City Ground at a vital meeting says she remains concerned about the impact the plans could have.

Sue Mallender was the only one of her 11 colleagues on Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee to oppose the Reds' ambitious plans at a crucial meeting on Wednesday (September 16).

The lengthy proceedings resulted in conditional permission being granted for the club's proposals to extend the Peter Taylor Stand and fill in both corners of the Trent End, taking the stadium's capacity up to 45,000.

The club also wants to extend the Brian Clough stand - which would take the City Ground's overall capacity to 52,000 seats - and these plans also received outline planning permission at Wednesday's meeting.

Cllr Mallender represents the Lady Bay ward on the borough council and said she feared the City Ground's expansion would lead to an increase in illegal parking on residential streets in the area during matchdays.

But speaking to the Nottingham Post two days after Wednesday's meeting, the Green Party councillor says she was not surprised at the almost unanimous decision made by her colleagues.

"I think the design of the stadium is excellent - it looks iconic with the Wembley arch and it will bring jobs to the local community," she explained.

"I can see all the arguments that were made about the fact that Forest desperately need a new stadium and they should be able to have a new stadium.

"But what I didn't like is that there's nothing definite in place and we need those mitigations in place before anything happens.

"It would be great to start now because we already have a situation where emergency vehicles and our local bus can't get into Lady Bay and other parts of West Bridgford and The Meadows."

The issue of illegal parking on residential streets around the stadium has been one of the biggest concerns repeatedly raised in relation to Forest's expansion plans.

In an attempt to tackle the potential issues for nearby residents, the club say they will fund the creation of a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) - meaning parking on certain streets will be restricted during matchdays.

But Cllr Mallender says that, whilst she's pleased this has been suggested, she fears the risk of a £60 fine would not put fans off parking in the area.

"Unfortunately it's the government that decides how much the fines are for parking, so you couldn't have a higher fine in a very sensitive area.

"if you could do that, the fines could be more appropriate and would actually put people off parking illegally or within the controlled parking zone when it exists.

"But at the moment, if you're not fined very often, you can afford to pay it on the rare occasions you get charged and it's not a disincentive."

The Green Party councillor also raised concerns about another contentious issue in relation to Forest's plans - how a huge influx of fans flocking to the ground would be accommodated.

The Premier League club had been planning to permanently close two lanes on Trent Bridge on match days - however both Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council have suggested the club should fund a new bridge instead.

Cllr Mallender said she's glad to see the club's "ridiculous" lane closure plans rejected, but argued there is still little meat on the bone regarding a new bridge over the River Trent.

However, she has stressed that despite her concerns, she hopes the redevelopment will allow the City Ground to become a stadium which influences young people to enjoy and get involved football.

It comes after a handful of social media posts shared following Wednesday's meeting included offensive language targeted at Cllr Mallender, alongside the overwhelming outpour of joy from fans.

She added: "I suppose there might be a level of unpleasantness that goes on when you raise valid concerns.

"There's going to be a lot of fans - some of whom do live in the local area and some who live much further afield. You find people supporting planning applications when they live in other countries.

"But then there's the much smaller group of local people that are affected."

The club first announced its intention to expand the City Ground in 2019, but the ongoing saga that ensued led Forest to even consider relocating from its historic home at one point.

With Forest's overall proposal to extend the Brian Clough approved in principal, the club is now able to put forward more detailed applications.