Funding has been awarded for up to 670 new homes on three sites in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, South Hertfordshire.
The £10.6m funding is the first to be agreed through the government’s £450 million Accelerated Construction Programme, which 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 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.”
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.
