The relocation of a day service for adults with learning disabilities has been approved, after it was recognised "the current building needs extensive repairs and improvements".

Hertfordshire County Council will replace the current Leyden House Day Service, in Stevenage's Leyden Road, with a new purpose-built facility on the former Pin Green School playing field in Hayward Close, Stevenage.

Leyden House is a county council building that provides daytime services during the week for adults with a learning disability.

Rachel Halliwell, the council's head of day services, said: "The current building needs extensive repairs and improvements. Relocating the service to a modern purpose-built building will secure a local service for the future."

Pin Green School closed in 2005, and the decision to relocate the Leyden House Day Service to the former school's playing field - 2.4 miles north of Leyden House - was made by the county council's Cabinet last week. A new retirement living facility is proposed on the remainder of the site.

Councillor Richard Roberts, the council’s chairman, said: “Not only, at long last, are we relocating Leyden House, which ties into the redevelopment of Gunnels Wood Road - one of our premier commercial estates in the county - but it’s also an opportunity to upgrade a tired building.

“I visited Leyden House and met a lady who's been going there for nearly 50 years. It’s not lost on me the wonderful work that's done there by staff, and the great comfort and opportunity to do all sorts of things, both social and learning, and that will be replicated, probably enhanced, with better facilities on the new site.

"I think we also have to acknowledge that our capital funding is not going to go as far as it did, and there are other projects that may not be as lucky to go forward. I hope the cost can be contained.”

Of the multi-million-pound project, Cllr Tony Kingsbury, the county council’s executive member for adult care, health and wellbeing, said: “These proposals represent major investment in improving day services in the county.”