Plans to create a new community health facility have been given the green light.

The new facility will be built inside St Albans District Council’s Civic Centre office in St Peters Street.

The new health hub will house some of Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust’s (HCT) community health services.

The services include those currently provided at St Albans Principal Health Centre on Civic Close, as well as the Leg Ulcer Clinic and Podiatry Service, located at St Albans City Hospital.

HCT acting chief executive, Clare Hawkins, said: “The Principal Health Centre building is not fit for purpose and this is a fantastic opportunity to relocate our services into a newly refurbished suite in the Council’s own Civic Centre building.”

Cllr Robert Donald, chairman of the St Albans District Health and Wellbeing Partnership, said: “The Health and Wellbeing Partnership's unanimous decision to welcome the Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust's proposals opens up exciting new possibilities. The relocation of services from the present Principal Health Centre to the Council's own office building will ensure much needed further improvements to the health provision in our city centre. It will also enable the redevelopment of the former Principal Health Centre site as part of the new city centre regeneration plan.

"It means residents will be able to access a wider range of services in one building beyond those already offered by the voluntary sector, Oaklands College, the council and the police.

He added: "This new facility will provide an improved St Albans city centre health resource for residents and a further example of what can be achieved in the future by innovative public sector partnership working.”

The partnership heard that the proposals would also “free up space” at St Albans City Hospital for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s redevelopment plans. The hospital is due to focus on the expansion of planned surgery under the plans.

Some partnership members urged that St Albans City Hospital’s Minor Injuries Unit should be turned into an Urgent Treatment Centre.

David Evans, director of commissioning at Hertfordshire Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said it was supportive of HCT’s proposals for relocation of services. He added that the CCG was already looking at developing an Urgent Treatment Centre at the hospital.