THE £250million transformation of one of Glasgow's most rundown areas will be given the go ahead.

The regeneration programme for Sighthill, in the north east of the city, is scheduled to begin next spring, but will be given the stamp of approval tomorrow by the city council's Executive Committee.

Hundreds of new homes are included in the plan, along with a school, shops and a new footbridge over the M8.

Initial proposals for the 124-acre site were first passed by council bosses in 2012, as part of the city's bid for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

Despite losing out on the sporting spectacular to Buenos Aires in Argentina, the council decided to move forward with the plans to regenerate the area and have hailed it as a major legacy from the bid.

The masterplan includes almost 800 new houses - a mixture of rented and low-cost homes - as well as community and sports facilities and accommodation for up to 1000 students.

A community campus will act as a replacement for the existing local nursery and primary schools, and is hoped to attract new families to Sighthill.

Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "If this report is approved by the Executive Committee we can then move to the next stage of the regeneration of Sighthill.

"These proposals would see the area opened up to the city centre and the rest of Glasgow, unlocking the great potential that lies in this part of the city.

"New homes, schools, shops, sporting facilities, student accommodation, green spaces and vastly improved connections to surrounding areas and new transport links would make Sighthill a very attractive area for many groups of people.

"Great credit in all of this must go to Transforming Communities: Glasgow, the company set up by the council, Scottish Government and Glasgow Housing Association to promote this initiative, and the Local Development Group - comprising local people and councillors - who are working to maximise the potential of the neighbourhood."

The council's Executive Committee will meet tomorrow to approve the delivery strategy for the Sighthill Transformational Regeneration Area (TRA) masterplan, taking it one step closer to completion.

Earlier this year, one of the biggest developments in the project began, with the building of 141 new homes for GHA tenants.

The residents living in the two remaining Pinkston tower blocks will be rehoused in the new homes, and the towers will be demolished after they have moved next year.

A number of other redevelopment projects are also ongoing in the area which will complement the transformation, including a revamp of the Forth and Clyde canal and the creation of the new Pinkston Paddlesports Centre.

Not only will the multi-million pound scheme turn Sighthill into a better place for local residents, but it will improve transport links and accessibility to the rest of the city.

There will be a village square, a new pedestrian bridge over the M8 and a network of green spaces, including allotments and a park.

The pedestrian bridge over the motorway has been described by the local authority as a "crucial component" to the regeneration, as it will allow residents from Sighthill as well as Port Dundas and Cowlairs, better access to Glasgow city centre.

The existing pedestrian bridge over the railway will become a road bridge and a new access route for motorists will also be created.

Beginning early next year, the community campus is expected to be up and running by 2017, with the pedestrian and road bridges expected to be completed by 2018.

The student accommodation is hoped to be completed by 2019/2020.

Initial infrastructure work, including land remediation, bulk earthworks and engineering, is expected to last five years and will also begin next spring.

In the 1960s, 10 high rise blocks of flats were built in the area, but by the early 1970s Sighthill's popularity started to go downhill and people began moving out of the multis.

Refugees and asylum seekers were placed into temporary housing in the area in the late 1990s but by 2005 the high-rises were deemed not fit for purpose.

The first eight have now been demolished, with the remaining two set to be knocked down in 2015.

hannah.rodger@ eveningtimes.co.uk