By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
The outdoor fan zone at Nottingham pub the Trent Navigation Inn is to be expanded with garden seating, decking and catering facilities after plans were given the go-ahead.
The pub, on Meadow Lane, has previously converted an old car park into a covered area with a big screen, which it called the Big Shed.
Nottingham Forest were at the bottom of the Championship when the transformation first began, and its popularity began to grow with a series of showings during Euro 2020 and the promotion of Forest to the Premier League.
The area has capacity for 500 people, and the fan zone has become a match day destination for Nottingham Forest and Notts County fans.
Plans to expand the area with a garden seating area and a food servery have now been given the green light by Nottingham City Council.
The Big Shed will also be encased in glass glazing to provide better shelter, and the seating area will feature artificial grass and planters to make it more visually appealing.
Planning documents say: “The proposal is for the gable end façades of the structure to be constructed from glazing panels.
“A 2.7m tall gap will be left at the bottom of each gable end, which will allow for patrons to enter and exit the venue.
“Further to this, it is intended for a new roofed section to be erected to the south of the existing structure.
“The building will have one full enclosed side, and the front, rear and other large side will remain open.
“Finally, it is intended for there to be a garden seating area with a section of raised decking.”
The application was given conditional permission by the council, pending a noise assessment report and proof of how noise will be kept within specified limits.
No objections were received from Nottinghamshire Police or Environmental Health, subject to confirmation measures to dampen noise levels were to be put in place.
The council’s conservation officer said the plans and current fan zone is a “positive” addition to the venue, and recommendations to reduce the height of the eaves were accepted.
However, the Nottingham Civic Society objected.
“This Georgian building is proposed to be added to Nottingham’s Local List
because of its distinctive architectural quality,” the group said.
“The fan zone’s cheap utilitarian style is a wholly incompatible adjunct to the heritage asset and the unsightly structure would intrude into views of the street frontage in a very disruptive way.
“The position and height of the shed would obscure the side elevation of the heritage asset with its original Georgian windows and its distinctive array of blind windows in the side elevation.
“The proposal is damaging to the appearance and significance of the local list building contrary to local plan policy and should not be supported.”
While the council’s planning officers noted the concerns, they added: “It is not considered that the presence and heritage value of the main public house would be significantly affected.”
The Great Northern Group, which owns the Trent Navigation Inn, said it would not be commenting on the plans at this time.