Trial of Trent Bridge closure for Nottingham Forest matchdays scrapped

However, the shutting of lanes on both sides of the bridge remains on the cards for the coming years to cope with the 20,000 extra fans who could be in the area if the City Ground expands as planned.

One councillor says fans on matchdays are currently "squished" on the bridge and are often climbing over concrete barriers, arguing the situation could worsen without a properly managed expansion.

The purpose of the closures would be to create more space for the 34 per cent increase in pedestrian traffic predicted around the stadium after its expansion.

Forest says closing one lane on either side of Trent Bridge would create five metres of pedestrian capacity on either side.

The Nottingham Post understands a trial to determine the impact of these closures was discussed for games towards the end of the last season, including fixtures against Burnley and Newcastle.

A trial of lane closures was then mentioned as a possibility for Forest's game against Leeds on the opening game of the next Premier League season in August.

Labour's Councillor Steve Battlemuch made the suggestion on the Forest Focus podcast, but it is now understood a closure trial is deemed as no longer necessary.

The plan to introduce matchday lane closures remains on the cards for when the stadium has expanded, but it is understood that some data modelling will now be carried out to assess their potential impact, rather than a physical trial.

Councillor Richard Mallender, one of the Green Party councillors representing the Lady Bay area on Rushcliffe Borough Council, told the Nottingham Post: "It's a shame they're not going ahead with it, I think it was a good opportunity to see how it works."

Cllr Mallender did agree that in terms of plans for the future, closing lanes on Trent Bridge was worth considering, adding: "There are so many people trying to get over Trent Bridge who are squished into the pedestrian area.

"We know some people have been climbing over the barriers and I know some of the bus drivers in that area are really concerned about the amount of people."

Concrete barriers between the pavement and the road were installed in 2017 as an anti-terrorism measure following the London Bridge attack.

Nottinghamshire County Council previously said that as the highways authority, it was seeking advice on the legality of lane closures for matchdays and that it would provide this advice once received.

Nottingham Forest's current City Ground expansion plans differ significantly from those given Rushcliffe Borough Council's approval in the summer of 2025.

The initial aim would be to increase capacity from 30,000 to 45,000 by rebuilding an extended Peter Taylor Stand and filling in both corners of the Trent End with additional seating.

This part of the plan forms the main planning application currently being considered by Rushcliffe and for which Forest is hoping for a decision on in September.

Expanding the Brian Clough Stand would then increase capacity by even more - to 52,500 - though this part of the project is only an outline planning application at this stage, meaning further details would be needed for Rushcliffe to give final approval. The whole project could then be complete by 2033.

Closing one lane on each side of Trent Bridge is one option, but another being considered is the closure of just two southbound lanes.

Forest says that closing a lane on each side is the preferred option though after discussions with local transport operators and emergency services.

Rushcliffe Borough Council's leader, Councillor Neil Clarke, said an effective way of separating the pedestrians from traffic would be key if some lanes were closed.

The Rushcliffe leader said: "I can understand the concerns, because with an extra 20,000 fans, there will be a lot more people on the road and I fully appreciate the need to keep everybody safe.

"I don't know what form it would take and how the fans are going to be separated from the traffic. It could possibly be done by moving those concrete barriers, but that's not going to be easy."