HUNDREDS of new homes are to be built on the site of the former Dalmarnock Power station.

 

The £65million scheme will result in 550 properties for sale, social rent and shared equity on a derelict site just yards from the Athletes' Village.

Regeneration agency Clyde Gateway has sold the 22 acre site for £5.7m to the Link Group - one of the largest social landlords in Scotland. Cash to buy the land was provided by the city council.

The new housing will be built on the banks of the Clyde on a site which which has lain empty and derelict for 40 years.

A masterplan for the area is presently being drawn up and it is hoped work will start next year and take around six years to complete.

When complete, the Dalmarnock Riverside development will see a wide range of properties for sale and rent.

Clyde Gateway chairman Lord Smith of Kelvin, said: "This deal epitomises what Clyde Gateway is all about.

"We have stepped in to deal with market failure and having initially purchased the site and followed it up with a spend of £3m on decontamination and infrastructure improvements beneath the4 surface, we have now found a very able and willing development partner who will deliver the types and quality of housing the community here requires.

"There 550 homes will complement perfectly the nearby Athletes' Village. What we are seeing and experiencing here in this area is a truly world-class transformation with the likes of Dalmarnock railway station which recently underwent an £11m refurbishment, the community owned Legacy Hub, the Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, the Police Scotland building and the soon to be built nursery and primary schools making an unbelievable difference and fulfilling the legacy promises made when Glasgow first bid for the Commonwealth Games."

Roy Stirrat, chairman of the Link Group, said the regeneration project would provide high quality housing for the East End.

He added: "Link has a design philosophy which embodies Clyde Gateway's master-planning aims of high quality buildings and open space, creating a vibran t and cohesive and sustainable community.

"Link aims to develop the site delivering a range of community benefits, including up to 76 new jobs to the Clyde Gateway area which will provide a lasting legacy for the Dalmarnock area and the people living there."

Elinor Taggart, Link's business development and acquisitions manager, said the developer who takes on the building work will be required to provide training places and apprenticeships for local people.