A care home for the elderly in St Albans is to close and its residents are to be relocated.

On Monday, Hertfordshire County Council's cabinet made the decision to proceed with plans to shut Jane Campbell House, a 54-bed residential care home in Waverley Road.

Residents will be moved to homes in Willow Court, Harpenden, and Fosse House, St Albans, late this spring and in the summer.

Jane Campbell House is owned by Hertfordshire County Council and operated by Quantum Care.

HCC said its residents have "increasing dependency levels that require larger rooms, with more privacy and dignity, as well as modern facilities - such as en-suite bedrooms.

"Jane Campbell House is now 30 years old and unsuitable for these future needs. It has limited bathroom facilities, small rooms with lack of adequate space and sloping grounds that are a challenge for those residents with poor mobility."

Extensions at Willow Court and Fosse House will provide additional bedrooms and living space. HCC say it will mean a higher quality standard of accommodation for residents.

Quantum Care has been providing care homes in the not-for-profit sector in this area for nearly 20 years. It is to work with residents, their families and carers, to ensure a smooth transition.

Colette Wyatt-Lowe, cabinet member for health and adult care, said: "Hertfordshire County Council and Quantum Care want to ensure that residents are cared for in the most comfortable facilities that are suited to their individual and varied needs.

"New facilities at Willow Court and Fosse incorporate modern advances in care that will ensure we are best placed to meet the current and future needs of our older citizens and the relocation of residents will allow them to live more independently in more modern homes."