A £70MILLION deal will see East End residents moving into the Athletes' Village by Christmas.

Housing associations have agreed to buy hundreds of Village homes when the curtain comes down on the Commonwealth Games.

Dozens of tenants are expected to start making the switch in the autumn after modifications to the homes have been carried out.

Housing bosses say the biggest task will be installing family-sized kitchens.

The Games authorities will begin handing over the homes to three associations weeks after the sports extravaganza ends on August 3.

Three city-based providers have stepped in to snap up 400 homes.

The Village has been built in Dalmarnock to accommodate 6500 athletes and officials from around the world.

The landmark agreement involves Thenue Housing, West of Scotland Housing Association (WSHA) and Glasgow Housing Association (GHA).

Thenue is buying 200 properties for £36.7m, WSHA is purchasing 102 for £18m, while another £18m is being spent by GHA on 98 homes.

All three will be splashing out a combined total of £72.7m.

Charlie Turner, chief executive of Thenue Housing, said: "The lasting legacy of the Commonwealth Games in terms of infrastructure will be felt for many years in the East End of the city and beyond.

"Thanks to financial grant assistance from Glasgow City Council, Thenue is able to guarantee that every one of the properties will be affordable for all families."

Duncan McNaught, who runs WSHA, said: "Having the Commonwealth Games in our home city is already an exciting prospect.

"But the fact that it will leave such a valuable legacy in the form of quality housing, is the icing on the cake."

GHA chairman Gordon Sloan said: "The new homes at the Athletes' Village, just one part of the legacy the Games will bring to the city, are spacious, energy-efficient and built to a really high standard.

"Our tenants will also benefit from lower fuel bills which will help us reduce fuel poverty and cut carbon emissions in Glasgow."

Councillor Archie Graham, who has responsibility at the city council for the Commonwealth Games, said: "The Athletes' Village will bring a new neighbourhood to Glasgow, one I am sure that the people living in all of the new homes there will really enjoy.

"This development is a fantastic example of what can be achieved in terms of new housing in the city."

The City Legacy consortium is the developer behind the village.

John Gallacher, managing director of consortium partner Cruden Homes said that the Athletes' Village is the most significant housing-led regeneration initiative currently taking place in the UK.

He added: "This development will be a huge asset to the area and at the heart of the regeneration of the East End for many years to come."

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk