Welwyn Hatfield Times reporter Dan Mountney was given special access to Hatfield's One Town Centre redevelopment, and was left impressed by the project that could help transform the town.

In my time as a reporter, I've reported on a lot development projects, many of which fall flat and fail to provide what the town or its residents need.

So when Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and Lovell Homes invited me to a sneak peek at the One Town Centre project in Hatfield, I went in with more than a little scepticism.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

It was clear before I'd even seen the development that this wasn't a rushed project pushed through to meet some housing targets, or a half-baked attempt at regeneration.

READ MORE: Inside the Hatfield development set to transform the town centre

The passion that came through when I spoke to WHBC surveyor Babs Sharman was clear, but it was quickly apparent that One Town Centre was a project that had been well thought out and the centrepiece of wider efforts to transform Hatfield.

On site, the buildings for the 71 new homes are going up at a rate of knots ahead to planned summer completion, while the extensive retail units will provide opportunities to bring exciting new businesses into the town.

I also went in with concerns that the development would be overbearing, but again I was wrong, and even at this early stage it's clear that One Town Centre will be the centrerpiece of the new Hatfield envisioned by WHBC.

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I do understand the concern and criticism that readers and residents have expressed, and that is justified. It's your town and you want the best for it, but I truly believe, having seen the development and the passionate people working on it that this will be a great thing for Hatfield.

The work put in already, and the thriving community spirit in the town, is making Hatfield a brighter place to be, and One Town Centre is the next step in this impressive transformation.

As Jeff Hollis, a Hatfield resident and Lovell employee working on the project told me, "Hatfield is desperate for something nice to happen for it and this can be it."