Accelerated construction programme breaks ground

Homes England has awarded the first funds from the Local Authority Accelerated Construction Programme to Welwyn Hatfield Borough council.

The award will see three sites prepared by the council allowing 670 new homes to be developed. The £10.6M funding will be put towards investigating modern methods of construction to speed up delivery of the sites.

The Government’s £450M Accelerated Construction 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% 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.”

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