A sneak peak at new city court plan

This image shows what a multi-million-pound glass-fronted court building planned for Wolverhampton could look like.

Housing magistrates and county courts, it is planned for Fold Street car park just off Darlington Street.

Plans for the £36.9million development have gone to Wolverhampton City Council although funding is not yet available.

This image, released by Wolverhampton Development Company, shows the court fronting on to the Chapel Ash roundabout.

The five-storey building would have 15 courtrooms, offices, secure accommodation for magistrates and judges, a staff car park, custody area and waiting rooms.

If plans are backed it will be the second major development earmarked for that area of the city centre within the last couple of months.

The Penn Road island is also set for an overhaul with the landmark Fox Hotel set to be knocked down and replaced by a Hilton in a £15million redevelopment.

Work will start on the nine-storey 130-room hotel next spring after the Fox has been demolished.

Wolverhampton City Council regeneration chief Councillor Paddy Bradley believes the whole area has a lot of regeneration potential.

She added: "It will be an iconic building."

The current North Street courthouse was created in the 1970s by adapting the former town hall, a listed building dating from 1867. This building houses the city's magistrates, licensing justices and the coroner's court.

Plans for the new building have been commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and in total it will cover 100,000 sq ft. It will consist of six civil and nine magistrates' courtrooms.

A planning application for the new court building was submitted to Wolverhampton City Council in February this year.

A new court is also in the pipeline for West Bromwich, although funding is also not yet available for that either.