We are working with housebuilders to continue Glasgow East End’s regeneration by adding 1,200 new homes

When you look at the incredible transformation that has taken place in Glasgow’s East End over the past decade, it’s easy to understand why Clyde Gateway is called Scotland’s largest and most ambitious regeneration project.

Banking group BNP Paribas recently ranked our city third in the UK in its list of desirable green places, while praising how Glasgow is ‘positively transforming… into a modern cosmopolitan city’. I am certain that our East End regeneration is partly responsible for this.

The work is far from finished and I am pleased to say that a further 1,235 much needed new and affordable homes will soon be nearing completion on vacant and derelict land.

Central to this new transformation phase is West of Scotland Housing Association’s (WSHA) £10m development at Fielden Street of 52 units for social rent. The homes consist of high quality apartments with 12 townhouse units providing a mixture of one to three bedroom units, and a number of larger four and five bed family housing addressing a shortage within the city.

The development incorporates community open spaces that encourage and facilitate interaction with the residents and wider community. It has received £5m in financial backing from Glasgow City Council through its Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant.

The overall Clyde Gateway regeneration project will also see a new phase of the Riverside Dalmarnock development by Link Group that will soon deliver 562 new homes for social rent, mid-market rent, new supply shared equity and private sale. Further west adjacent to Dalmarnock Station, WSHA is working with housebuilder Springfield Properties in developing a further 114 homes, 54 of which will be for mid market rent with the remaining 60 for social rent.

Swan Group is also on site constructing a collection of 151 new homes on Newhall Street and work has now begun on the derelict site of the former Springboig St John’s School by CCG Homes to build 156 homes. Thenue Housing Association is also making good progress with its 77 homes on Abercromby Street.

Market research carried out by Rettie on our behalf shows strong resale values of homes in the area, particularly at the former Athletes’ Village. Encouragingly, it also indicates that following the pandemic, house prices in the Glasgow area are expected to soon rise again by 1.4% after three years and 11.3% in five years.

What is clear to me, whenever I speak to our partners, is that they are all determined to work together to deliver these projects that will have positive impacts on the lives of people who live in the East End. “The Fielden Street development is the result of years of planning and collaboration to achieve the vision set out in the masterplan 25 years ago. We could not have achieved this without the on-going financial support of Glasgow City Council, the expertise of our design teams and, importantly, the patience and understanding of the local community”, said Andrew Kubski, director of development and asset management at WSHA.

Similarly, Colin Culross from Link Group told me, “Our largest ever affordable homes programme is playing a significant part in the Scottish Government’s call for more homes and we are pleased to have completed the first two phases of this outstanding development with McTaggart Construction to deliver new homes across a range of tenures.”

The continued importance of East End regeneration to the city meant that £150m worth of construction work, which includes a considerable portion of housing, has continued apace since summer 2020 – work was only paused for a few months due to COVID-19 restrictions.

We are pleased to be able to meet the growing demand for homes in the Clyde Gateway area as more and more people recognise the East End as a desirable place to call home, in part because of its good transport links, quick access to the city centre and first-class green spaces. It has been a successful decade for us, but in many ways it feels like we are just getting started.