£35m aid in drive to tackle rundown housing

ALMOST £35 million of public cash is to be spent tackling slum housing in Glasgow.

The Scottish Government has committed £20m to a four-year project which will see up to 350 homes in the Govanhill area of the city bought and renovated.

After repairs and improvements have been made, the properties will be taken over by the local housing association.

Glasgow City Council will also invest £14m in the scheme after the funds have been approved by its executive committee.

Govanhill residents have complained for several years about housing conditions, with local people telling MSPs in 2008 that part of the area had “become a ghetto for the migrant community’’.

Representatives said overcrowding was so bad there could be 15 to 25 people living in a two-bedroom flat and also complained of “mass infestations of cockroaches’’.

A pilot scheme in southwest Govanhill was set up, with improvements targeted at four blocks of flats.

This led to 124 properties being bought up by a housing association for repair work.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said it had been a “great success” with “significant progress” made in a relatively short period of time.

Glasgow City Council leader, Councillor Frank McAveety, said: “This is a huge investment package and demonstrates the council’s long-term commitment to Govanhill.

“Transforming how the area’s housing is managed is the foundation for a long-term improvement.

“We see real potential in Govanhill and are willing to back this with investment.”