Specialist food and "pop up niche" markets are among the ideas being suggested by St Albans City and District Council to develop the city’s market.

The council is already running a pilot for a specialist food quarter at the Wednesday market in St Peter’s Street.

Visitors are able to buy a wide range of food, including cup-cakes, deep-filled savoury quiches and pies and ready-to-eat street food.

The food quarter will be expanded in the spring when more stalls will be added. The council will also look to create an area for visitors to sit out and eat.

The food quarter aims to maximise use of the market’s capacity, help meet demand for stalls from food traders and attract new visitors.

On Thursday, the council’s cabinet will hear that the pilot is one of a number of initiatives being explored by the council to develop the city’s markets.

The council is currently reviewing the markets with a view to drawing up a five-year development plan that will be published in early 2015.

It will cover the Wednesday and Saturday Charter markets, the Farmers’ Market, which takes place every second Sunday in the month and the Christmas Market.