Welwyn Hatfield Council has received more than £10 million in government funds to build 670 new homes in the borough.

The council is the first local authority in the country to sign a grant agreement through the government’s Accelerated Construction Programme.

The Homes England funding will be spent on three sites - two in Hatfield town centre and the other in Welwyn Garden City - and each development has a target of 30 per cent affordable housing.

About £6.1 million will be spent on developing and expanding existing plans for the 14-acre town centre north site between John Lewis and the bus station in Welwyn Garden City.

Hatfield will receive another £4.5 million, which will help bring forward plans for new homes, public spaces, shops and restaurants at 1 and 3-9 Town Centre (£3.6 million) and to develop plans for new homes on Link Drive (£752,760).

Work is due to start on the first site at Hatfield Town Centre in June.

Welwyn Hatfield Council leader Tony Kingsbury 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.”

Each of the developments will use modern construction methods to minimise onsite disruption in the town centre areas and speed up the delivery of the new homes.

The council’s executive member for resources, councillor Duncan Bell, 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.”

The 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.

Homes England executive director for land Stephen Kinsella said: “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.”