Homes England funds first homes through local authority accelerated construction programme
Homes England awards £10.6million Local Authority Accelerated Construction funding to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. The council will use funding to prepare three sites to build 670 new homes in the borough. Funding will accelerate development of the sites using modern methods of construction.
Up to 670 new homes are to be built on three sites in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, South Hertfordshire, supported by £10.6 million funding from Homes England.
The funding has been awarded to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and is the first to be agreed through the Government’s £450 million Accelerated Construction Programme.
The programme was launched to accelerate the delivery of local authority housing schemes and encourages the use of innovative construction methods and a wider range of builders, in particular small and medium sized companies.
The three sites to benefit from the funding include two Town Centre sites in Hatfield and one in Welwyn Garden City. Each will incorporate the use modern construction methods, to minimise onsite disruption in the town centre areas and speed up the delivery of the new homes.
Work is due to start on the first site at Hatfield Town Centre in June 2019, with each development including a target of 30 percent affordable housing.
Stephen Kinsella, Executive Director for Land at Homes England, said: “I’m delighted to see this first accelerated construction grant agreement being signed. The funding will enable Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council to develop their ambitious proposals for these three sites and will help to deliver much needed new homes for local people.
“The plans will prioritise the use of modern methods of construction including panellised and hybrid construction which will reduce time on site and minimise the impact on the local community, whilst delivering precision engineered high quality homes.”
Cllr Duncan Bell, the Council’s Executive Member for Resources, said: “Creating vibrant, bustling town centres that are fit for the future is at the heart of our vision for each of these sites. The funding from Homes England means that we can now undertake the work necessary to get these sites ready for us to build new homes and we are looking forward to developing detailed designs and plans to share with the community.”
Cllr Tony Kingsbury, Leader of the Council, said: “We are really proud to be the first local authority to secure funding from this programme. The schemes will not only deliver much needed new homes for the area, but will also bring increased footfall to our town centres and support the local economy to thrive.”
ENDS
For more information contact Kate Hall, Communications Officer at Homes England 0115 852 6900 or 07967 782252 kate.hall@homesengland.gov.uk
Notes to Editors
- The £450 million Accelerated Construction Programme includes the Greater London Authority areas.
Homes England is the new housing delivery organisation that has been created to adopt a more commercial approach to respond to the long term housing challenges facing this country. The new, expanded agency will play a far bigger role in investing in supply and intervening in the market to help deliver 300,000 homes a year by the middle of the next decade.
For more information visit our home page or follow us on Twitter @HomesEngland
Welwyn Garden City
In Welwyn Garden City, the 14 acre town centre north site between John Lewis and the bus station will receive around £6.1m. The funding will enable the development and expansion of existing high-level plans outlined in an agreed Supplementary Planning Document. More ambitious proposals for this area have the potential to deliver up to 410 homes, retail space and better infrastructure in the heart of the garden city.
Hatfield
In Hatfield two pivotal sites in the heart of the town centre will receive nearly £4.5m.
This will help bring forward plans for 1 and 3-9 Town Centre, earmarked for new homes, shops and restaurants, with the remainder being used to develop plans for new homes on Link Drive. Both sites are areas of opportunity identified in the Hatfield 2030+ Renewal Framework, and their development is a crucial step in the ongoing regeneration plans to make the town centre a more attractive, vibrant place which has already seen £15m invested by the council.