In April 2002 the occupiers of the Forest Recreation Ground Lodge were taken to court and evicted by Nottingham City Council. The local rag, The Evening Post ran a story in which the council claimed that they planned to utilise the building within 1 year of the eviction. They claimed that they wanted to convert it to "a centre of excellence for gardening" (eh?) or an art gallery (not bad). Of course, there were no plans as time has shown.

The Forest Lodge built in 1857 is a grade II listed biulding, after the eviction the council smashed all of the windows, battered down one of the original doors, and fitted perforated steel sheeting, exposing the building to the elements, the following winter a burst water pipe which occur frequently in empty homes was luckily spotted and reported before causing serious damage.

Earlier this year an inspection of the building showed prolific damp inside caused by having been exposed to the elements for 3 years, and by not being heated, damp causes molds, amd molds mean structural damage to a building.
A letter was written to the evening post highlighting the councils inaction over this fabulous building, and pointing out the inadequate steel sheeting, The post wanted to run an story, but backed out last minute. I also contacted Nottingham Civic Society (www.nottinghamcivicsociety.org.uk)who are concerned with listed buildings and they agreed to bring the issue up in their next meeting with the council. With the press and NCS interest, the coucil decided to change to sheeting for plywood boards, hardly likely to make a difference to the already rampant mold.

Earlier this summer the council held a public meeting to discuss the Forest Recreation Ground, The issue of the Lodge was raised at that meeting, what plans do the council have for the building?....None! now there's an honest answer. Apparently they have had no interest in the building (have no interest in the building would be more apt), are unable to sell it, and don't have the cash to renovate it. How about this Nottingham City Council: I know of loads of people who would be interested in forming a collective, and taking on the building and turning it into something beneficial for the community in which it sits, hell we might even turn it into an art gallery, not to keen on the garden centre idea though, too small.