GHA's house modernisation programme – the largest of its kind in Europe – has passed the £1 billion mark.

Scotland’s largest social landlord also confirmed it would invest a further £250 million over the next two and a half years upgrading homes across the city in the final phase of the programme.

Alex McGuire, GHA’s Executive Director of Regeneration said: “One of the key promises made to Glasgow tenants at the time of stock transfer in 2003 was that every home with a long-term future would be fully modernised within 10 and a half years.

“Since then we have modernised almost 68,000 properties – and we are on schedule and within budget to complete the programme by the end of 2013.”

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GHA has already fitted 42,000 central-heating systems, 11,000 new windows, more than 40,000 new kitchens and 41,000 new bathrooms in making Glasgow’s flats and houses warmer, drier, safer and more comfortable.

Also, 48,000 Secured by Design doors have been installed, 36,000 homes overclad, 33,000 houses re-roofed and almost 38,000 re-wired.

Tenant Elizabeth Bashir, whose home in Cardonald, Glasgow, has been upgraded, said: “It used to be you could tell the ‘bought’ homes from the council homes because they looked a lot better. Now the opposite is true.

“When I travel on the bus I hear people from Renfrew and Paisley saying how nice the houses in Glasgow are and I have a wee smirk to myself. The progress being made here is great.”

GHA includes a clause in all investment contracts that stipulates contractors must provide training and employment initiatives, as part of the programme, for people in Glasgow.

So far, 1590 people have been recruited, including 432 apprentices, and 388 training places have been provided for people who were previously unemployed.

As well as upgrading existing homes GHA is building hundreds of new homes. More than 430 homes have been built so far and work has started on another 400.

(GK)