St Albans City Football Club has secured up to £17million to build a stadium and 6,000 new homes in the Radlett airfield.

Co-owner John McGowan said a major land developer, who did not want to be named, had stepped forward with the cash.

The county council deferred its sale of the land to Helioslough, the rail freight developer on Monday.

Mr McGowan said the club would be ready to put in outline planning permission within the next two weeks, for 6,000 homes and a new stadium.

He said: “We are happy to make an application to the local authority as an alternative scheme as we believe this could be the best option to knock the current developers off any thought of building a new rail site.”