All those keen to see the Forest Recreation Ground on Gregory Boulevard restored to its former glory are now holding their breath as a bid for funding worth £5 million goes off to the Heritage Lottery Fund this week.

If the bid is successful, the plans for the new look Forest can swing into action, giving the city a fantastic new landmark. It would take around nine months of further design work before work would start on the site. The plans, which have been drafted by landscape designers LDA Design include restoring the Central Pavilion and the Forest Lodge, situated on the Mansfield Road side of the 77 acre site, adding a new café, improved facilities for children and young people and making the Forest safer and cleaner.

Several city organisations have been involved in putting the bid for Heritage Lottery funding together, including local Hyson Green charity the Partnership Council, Nottingham City Council, the Neighbourhood Development Company (NDC) and a group of Forest enthusiasts and volunteers known as Friends of the Forest.

The bid also includes the views of local people, including the results of a public consultation and poll carried out in April of this year, at Djanogly City Academy on Gregory Boulevard. As part of the consultation, local people were asked to vote for the improvements they felt were most necessary or important to them, from a list put together by the bid team. More facilities for young people came out on top.

400 young people have also been asked for their ideas and opinions on the Forest by Nottingham City Council’s Youth Team.

Councillor Dave Trimble, Nottingham City Councillor responsible for Parks and Open Spaces said: "Nottingham City Council has shown its commitment to the project from the start and believes that a successful lottery bid will bring huge benefits to the community and Nottingham as a whole."

Ruth Greenberg from the Partnership Council, who has spearheaded the project from the start, agrees: "We’ve spent several years asking local people about the Forest as we wanted the bid to reflect their views and wishes. Locally the Forest is more than just another park or recreation ground, for many it’s a garden and somewhere to go to exercise, socialise or just have fun. Hopefully the bid will be successful and we can start putting our plans for the Forest into action. A new look Forest could really improve the area and local people’s quality of life."

Cal Warren, who’s been leading the project for NDC agrees with Ruth that a new look Forest will benefit local people: "The Forest is a key part of life in the areas surrounding the site, including Radford, Hyson Green and Forest Fields. During the consultation, the bid team has been inundated with requests from local people wanting to get involved. The project will also open up new job and training opportunities for local people and the plan includes working with local colleges to offer training in skills such as construction, restoration and metalwork. It would be great if the bid is successful."

June Perry from Friends of the Forest is also keen to highlight the restoration aspect of the project: "Many people don’t realise that the Forest was a leading and highly significant venue for Nottingham in decades gone by. In the early part of the 19th century it was the home of Nottingham Racecourse and also Nottingham Forest Football Club. It would be lovely to see the site restored to its former glory and grandeur so that future generations can share and enjoy its prestigious history – and future."

The bid team was given a fighting fund of £60,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund earlier in the year to develop the bid and as a result there has already been improvements made to the Forest. For example, new signage has been put in place and Nottingham City Council has appointed a park ranger to help look after the Forest and its visitors.

It will take around six months for the Heritage Lottery Fund to decide whether or not the Forest bid is successful, so until then the bid team, and the city, can only wait and hope.

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