You are here: Home: News: Archives: 2006: April
Thursday 13 April 2006

£80 million to be invested in housing across Glasgow

The City Council has approved a spending programme which will lead to the construction of 1,650 new homes for first-time buyers, the elderly, disabled and homeless people

The City Council, while no longer a landlord in its own right after the Housing Stock Transfer in 2003, has strategic responsibility for the provision of the service across the city, primarily through the allocation of funds to Housing Associations and other Registered Social Landlords, as well as grants to owner-occupiers.

 

The programme, which will cost £80 million to implement, will see:-

 - the construction of 600 homes to rent by the Glasgow Housing Association

 - the construction of 370 new homes by various other Housing Associations across the city

 - the construction of 250 homes designed for people with special needs who require aids and adaptations

 - the provision of 380 homes for purchase under the Homestake programme

 - the provision of 50 homes to provide accommodation for men and women previously housed in hostels

 

Council Leader Steven Purcell said: "This is the most significant investment of its kind in Scotland, and represents the single biggest announcement about housing since the Stock Transfer. This will help deliver what people were promised at that time – decent, affordable houses where they can be proud to live and work. It is also an investment that will allow our most vulnerable elderly people to remain in their own homes and be in addition to the personal care and support we provide through our Social Work services."

 

The Homestake programme is geared towards ensuring affordable homes are available in property hotspots in Glasgow, including the West End and South Side. It allows people to own a percentage of their home, with a Housing Association owning the remainder. An earlier trial scheme involving 30 properties was hugely over-subscribed.

 

Councillor Purcell added: "Glasgow has some areas where house prices are outwith the reach of many people. Homestake gives ordinary working men and women a helping hand to buy a home in their own community. The success that Glasgow is currently enjoying must be shared by everyone, and I’m delighted that 380 homes will allow people to realise some of their ambitions."