A new housing development in the South Side of Glasgow has helped two best pals stay together as neighbours.

Pensioners Emma Robertson and Ellen Aitkinson moved from a tenement in Shawbridge which is due to be demolished into brand new GHA homes in nearby Riverford Road.

And the close friends and neighbours were delighted to show Housing Minister Keith Brown around their new homes.

The 93 homes in the £11.4m Riverford Road development, built by Cruden Estates Ltd, are a mix of houses and flats, with two of the flats built to wheelchair standard. The homes are for GHA tenants whose homes are being demolished in the Shawbridge area.

Tenant Emma Robertson, 85, a retired shop manageress, said: “My new house is absolutely lovely. It’s warm and comfortable.

“It’s very central here, ideal for buses and shops. I like to sit at my window and watch the world go by. I think these houses will make a big difference to the area. It’s an area on the up.”

Ellen, 71, a retired clerical worker, checks on Emma a few times a day and even does her shopping.

Ellen said: “Emma and I have been friends for 30 years and it means a lot that we lived next door before moving in here. It’s nice to know there’s someone there next to me.

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“The new home is very comfortable and there’s more space to move around. The kitchen in particular is really nice. The design of the building makes it nice and quiet too. I’m very happy here.”

Housing Minister Keith Brown said: “These 93 homes are helping to provide much needed affordable homes in Pollokshaws.

“It is the latest completion that forms part of GHA’s city-wide building programme, which is backed by over £21 million from the Scottish Government.

“It is yet another example of strong partnership working between GHA, the Scottish Government and the private sector. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of the community and organisations that are working tirelessly to improve the area.”

The homes in Riverford Road are environmentally friendly, achieving a ‘very good’ rating under Ecohomes standards, an assessment scheme run by Building Research Establishment Ltd (BRE) which grades each house according to materials used, energy efficiency and availability of public transport.

Carolyn Lennon, GHA’s Housing Manager for the area, said: “These new homes have made a huge difference to a lot of people’s lives.

“Tenants love the size and layout of their new homes and the amount of light because of the big windows.”

The homes also have Secured by Design accreditation, a police initiative which helps cut crime by improving home security.

The Riverford Road development is part of GHA’s Phase 2 new-build programme which when complete will see 411 homes built across nine sites.

Cruden Estates and their subcontractors have so far created 80 jobs as a result of the Phase 2 new-build contract with GHA - 90 per cent of which went to Glasgow residents.

That number includes 17 apprentices, all of whom are from Glasgow, and 48 jobs for trainees or people who were previously unemployed. The remaining 15 jobs went to skilled workers previously employed elsewhere.

Allan Callaghan, Managing Director of Cruden Building and Renewals Ltd, said: “We are extremely proud to have worked in partnership with GHA to deliver these contemporary homes which will transform the lives of the residents who live there.”

Shawbridge is part of a city-wide initiative to regenerate eight communities across Glasgow, known as Transformational Regeneration Areas (TRAs). The initiative is a partnership between GHA, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government.

(GK)