Glasgow City Council has revealed its new housing strategy to deliver 25,000 homes in the city by 2025.

Key areas of the 'People Make Glasgow Home' programme will see council land released for the development of affordable homes, helping first-time buyers to access mortgages and converting empty shops into housing.

Other features involve releasing 20 sites for development by housing associations in the first year of the strategy, publishing a statement on student accommodation in the city and developing sites for self and custom-build houses.

The strategy has a ten-point Housing Acceleration Plan to deliver these 25,000 homes:

• An accelerated programme for releasing large residential sites for private housing developments, including locations in Castlemilk, Drumchapel and Easterhouse within the first year.

• Acceleration of the Transformational Regeneration Areas programme to deliver up to 6500 homes through special purpose regeneration vehicle Transforming Communities: Glasgow.

• Council-nominated sale to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) of 20 sites for affordable housing development within a year.

• Glasgow City Council will work in partnership with the Wheatley Group and the Scottish Government to deliver the Wheatley Group's commitment to develop 1700 affordable new homes in the city between 2015 – 2022.


• Investigate new private rented housing supply with a pilot Glasgow Private Rented Sector Development Partnership and through working with partner organisations to develop delivery models.

• Establish a Memorandum of Understanding with Scottish Canals to increase regeneration activity - including the building of more homes - around the Canal Corridor as part of the regeneration of North Glasgow.

• An action plan to bring empty homes and underused space above shops and long-term empty retail units into effective residential use.

• Publication of a Statement on Student Accommodation, in partnership with the city's education establishments, within a year.

• Increasing the range of housing options on offer, including Self-Build and Custom-Build plots.

• Helping first-time buyers to access home ownership by establishing a pilot Glasgow Mortgage Guarantee Scheme in partnership with Glasgow Credit Union.

Council Leader Gordon Matheson unveiled the strategy at a photocall at a housing construction site in Laurieston.

He said: "While there have been tremendous examples of new housing developments in Glasgow in recent years, such as the Athletes' Village and Laurieston, the city needs to accelerate housebuilding to meet changing and growing demand.

"The huge scope of housing activity that the council will be enabling, supporting and investing in over the next decade will truly transform Glasgow.

"We look forward to working with partners in both private and public sector housing to deliver 25,000 homes by 2025."

Gordon Sloan, Chair of Glasgow Housing Association, which is part of the Wheatley Group, said: "One of our priorities is to help increase the number of affordable homes for people in communities across Glasgow. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government to bring forward plans for 1700 more homes in the city."

Prior to the housing boom of the early-mid 2000's, approximately 1500 private houses were built in Glasgow every year.

Following the financial crisis, house building activity has not returned to these levels, with 1179 private houses currently under construction in the city.

The £700m to be invested in housing in Glasgow over the next five years will generate £1.37bn for the city's economy in that time.

(LM)