THOUSANDS of families across Glasgow have been promised a multi-million pound makeover to improve their homes.

THOUSANDS of families across Glasgow have been promised a multi-million pound makeover to improve their homes.

Housing chiefs have agreed to splash the cash to make homes warmer, drier and more modern.

600 tenants will decide how the cash will be spent

JUST how the money is to be spent will be decided by more than 600 tenants who serve as members of the 63 local housing organising committees that regularly meet across the city.

Glasgow Housing Association will pay for the improvements, but the committees know the priorities of each area and a number of decisions have already been taken on where the £144million will go.

The breakdown will be:

  • North East £22m.
  • Maryhill Corridor £13m.
  • South West £28.5m.
  • East £16m.
  • South £28m.
  • West £23m.
  • North £9m.
  • City-wide £4.5m.

The investment will make a huge difference for tenants, such as those who live in 302 flats in tower blocks in Taylor Place, St Mungo Place and Dobbie's Loan Place in Townhead.

The £22m will be spent on new kitchens and bathrooms, as well as painting common landings.

Homes will be rewired and central heating, fire resistant doors and new lifts will be installed.

External cladding will also be carried out, which will give each tower block a facelift and also help reduce heating bills.

In the south of the city, tower blocks at Kennishead Avenue are to get a multi-million pound transformation.

Tenants at number 30 will be given new electric storage heating, those at No 40 will have landings re-floored and re-painted, while others at No 70 will get new kitchens, bathrooms and their homes rewired.

Along the Maryhill Corridor, an extensive programme of external cladding and re-roofing work is planned for properties in Cadder Grove, Lochburn Grove and the cottage flats in Hamiltonhill at Auckland Street, Ellesmere Road and Stonyhurst Street.

Glasgow Housing Association has allocated a bumper £144million for the year for improvements - that's almost £3m every week.

The money will be spent on providing tenants with a range of upgrades from new kitchens and bathrooms to rewiring and central heating.

Once the cash has been carved up it will result in:

  • £77m for overcladding at tower blocks and smaller "mini-multi" properties to provide better insulation, improve the appearance of buildings and cut heating bills.
  • £42m on installing new kitchens and bathrooms and on rewiring.
  • £16m on environmental works such as maintaining pathways, providing street lighting and revamping back courts and gardens as well as upgrading common areas.
  • £9m on installing central heating and providing lift and pipe insulation, upgrading lifts, fitting controlled entry doors and fitting special anti-fire doors.

Bosses say 45,000 tenants throughout the city will be better off.

Sandra Forsythe is a tenant who also chairs the board of Scotland's biggest social landlord. She says the latest phase of the upgrades is great news for tenants.

She said: "This is an exciting time for GHA as we increase the pace of our investment works and benefit thousands of tenants by putting rent money to good use.

"We promised at stock transfer in 2003 that the £1,309m set aside for our capital investment programme would be used to improve every GHA home with a long-term life within 10 and a half years.

"Almost half way through that period, we have already made huge progress - investing more than £616m on refurbishing, modernising and improving tenants' homes.

"However, we are not resting on our laurels and are committed to delivering the warm, dry homes our tenants deserve. I am delighted that this year will see such massive investment, making a dramatic difference across the city.

"Throughout all of these works we endeavour to achieve 100% quality checks, a high quality of product and high levels of customer involvement in all that we do."

So far housing chiefs have spent more than £616m on improvements.

The allocation of another £144m is part of a massive £410m which is to be invested in homes and neighbourhoods over the next three years.

During the past five years 35,902 heating systems have been installed along with 10,632 new windows and 45,916 kitchen and bathrooms. Another 45,192 fire-resistant doors have also been fitted as well as rewiring at 21,444 homes, overcladding at 20,857 properties and work on 17,953 new roofs.