EDINBURGH housebuilder Cala Homes has begun work on a controversial development on the site of the former Mansionhouse Unit on Glasgow’s southside after securing planning permission last year.

As part of the development Cala has demolished what was the hospital’s Mansionhouse elderly care unit on Mansionhouse Road in Langside. It has now started work constructing 101 one, two and three-bedroom flats and a number of penthouses across three buildings. It is anticipated that the apartments will be ready for occupation in a year’s time

Liana Canavan, sales and marketing director for Cala Homes (West), said the development is “a key part of our activity in Glasgow for 2017”.

“The area is very prominent in Glasgow’s southside and we’re really looking forward to seeing the development progress,” she said. “The preparation works are the first step in the process and locals will gradually begin to see the homes taking shape.”

The development originally came before a Glasgow City Council planning committee last March but councillors put off making a decision after failing to reach agreement on whether it should be given the go ahead.

Despite objections from Langside, Battlefield and Camphill Community Council that the proposal would overdevelop the site, the council ultimately backed it last June, although just nine councillors voted in favour of it while eight opposed it.

In keeping with the Cala Group’s business model the completed apartments will be targeted at an “equity-rich and financially resilient customer base”. According to the group’s accounts for 2015/16 its homes sold for £538,000 on average.