Plans for a private developer to revamp the Park Place area of Stevenage town centre have been backed by Stevenage Borough Council.

Developer Park Place Plaza Ltd made an application to convert 14 to 39 Park Place into 202 homes and ground-floor shops.

They hope to get work underway next spring, with the development taking around 18 months to complete.

The council’s planning committee has also approved an application from L.C. (Herts) Ltd for 17 one-bedroom homes, 34 two-bedroom homes and 13 three-bedroom homes on land at Six Hills House in London Road.

Councillor David Cullen, chairman of Stevenage Borough Council’s planning and development committee, said: “We want to create a modern town centre for 21st-century living and the developments at Park Place and Six Hills House are in keeping with this vision.

“We are seeing a confidence in our regeneration plans as investors are keen to come to Stevenage and be part of the town centre’s transformation into a place where people can live, work and socialise. We hope to encourage even more investors and people to Stevenage in future.”