Extra homes and business space could be included in £60m plans to enhance the city centre.

St Albans District Council is undergoing an ambitious development in the heart of St Albans with the aim of improving the look and quality of the area.

The Council is carrying out a circa £60 million redevelopment of the area known as the City Centre Opportunity Site South (CCOS South).

CCOS South comprises the City’s former police station on Victoria Road, a former NHS clinic on Civic Close and some adjoining land.

An existing planning permission, gained by private firm Angle Property, allows for the construction of two separate buildings of up to six storeys for residential and commercial use.

Now valuation, design and engineering contractors are examining the new ideas and aim to produce enhanced plans within the next few months.

Under new plans, the number of affordable and private sale homes could rise and the amount of commercial space could increase. The number of car parking spaces could also go up.

If the council decides to go ahead, the new designs will undergo a further review and will require a new planning application.

In the meantime, preparatory work to remove asbestos is taking place before the former police station and NHS clinic are demolished in June.

Among the recommendations to emerge from last month’s design review were the:

• Creation of more prominent corners, particularly on the walk along Victoria Street from the main railway station towards the New Museum + Gallery on St Peter’s Street;

• Use of Staffordshire blue brick or York stone for paving rather than granite which is not a local material;

• Enclosure of a new public space on Victoria Street on its south and west sides by buildings of good architectural character;

• Need to address the impact of iconic views towards the development from the east and south by greater variation of the roofscape.