ALMOST 1400 houses are to be built in Glasgow to provide more rented accommodation.

ALMOST 1400 houses are to be built in Glasgow to provide more rented accommodation.

The £83million package will finance a range of projects including the upgrading of some existing houses.

Glasgow City Council has been awarded the cash by the Scottish Government and council chiefs say they want to concentrate on making more houses available for social rent and low cost ownership.

Historic handover paved the way

MORE than 80,000 council houses and flats were transferred in 2003 from the city council to Glasgow Housing Association.

It was a condition of Glasgow's housing debt of more than £1billion being written off that the controversial transfer took place.

At the time it was intended the considerably depleted housing stock would be transferred further to a host of smaller local housing associations.

Last year 16 associations were given approval to proceed with their plans for the scheme and they now own and manage 6000 houses. A further 17 associations had their applications rejected.

GHA has embarked on a large-scale programme of improvements and, in some cases, demolition. But it has often resulted in owners receiving bills for thousands of pounds they say they can't afford to pay.

There will be a total of 1340 new houses - 950 for rent and 390 for private ownership. On top of that 110 houses will have improvements carried out.

George Ryan, the council's executive member for development and regeneration, said: "As the city's strategic housing authority, we have responsibility for shaping the future of housing provision within the city.

"The council's housing strategy aims to offer residents a choice when it comes to socially rented accommodation and home ownership."

"Through the development funding programme we are able to provide a substantial number of new affordable homes for rent and low cost ownership."

Although Glasgow City Council is no longer responsible for building houses it has responsibility for the city's overall housing stock.

The houses are owned and managed by Glasgow Housing Association and a number of other housing associations.

The projects set to be given the go-ahead were submitted to the council by housing associations.

They include a number of sites which will provide 465 new homes to GHA tenants, whose houses are part of the demolition programme.

It is the first phase of houses for GHA tenants who are being cleared from their homes. The programme to rehouse them will go on until 2012 and will see 3000 new houses being built across the city.

Councillors are also expected to agree a "shadow list" of housing projects - totalling 409 new homes - which will go ahead once cash is available.

The money has been given to the council by the Scottish Government as part of its ongoing Development Funding Budget.

The houses will be built on sites all over Glasgow. One of the largest is an 80-home development at the junction of Dunn Street, Reid Street and Rumford Street in Dalmarnock.

Other sites include Manse Brae in Cathcart, Murano Street in Ruchill, and the junction of Lymburn Street and Argyle Street in Cranstonhill.

Jacqui Watt, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said: "We are committed to working in partnership with our members, Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Housing Association to deliver quality housing and sustainable communities."

Law has created problems

THE right to buy law allowed hundreds of thousands of council house tenants to buy their homes.

The move was part of one of the first major pieces of legislation brought in after Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister.

The idea initially proved hugely popular - mainly because the houses were sold so cheaply - but the programme proved controversial in the longer term.

Council house schemes classed as "desirable" saw their houses snapped up by buyers, but in areas with more deprivation most houses were left unsold and the social problems became worse.

The policy also seriously depleted council housing stock all over the UK.

Housing experts have claimed the policy increased "ghetto life".