NEARLY 1000 expressions of interest have been lodged by people wishing to buy the properties being built for the international athletes taking part in next year's Commonwealth Games.
With the completion of the Athletes' Village in Glasgow's east end nearing completion, the consortium behind the project have been inundated with inquiries for the 300 houses which will be put on the private market.
In all, 700 houses and a care home are being built on the Dalmarnock site, on the banks of the Clyde and in the shadow of the new Emirates Arena and Celtic Park, 400 of which will be socially-rented properties.
But more than a year before the remaining 300 are put up for sale, the City Legacy consortium has received 987 registered interests in buying a Village home. The 88-acre site, when handed back by the 2014 Games organisers and the properties refitted, will be home to a new community of around 2000.
The 12 different styles of property will range in price from around £80,000 for a one-bedroom apartment through to about £200,000 for a four-bedroom detached family home.
Two show homes will be available for public view from January, while a recent limited access during the city-wide Doors Open Day event was the catalyst for many of the notes of interest.
Ed Monaghan, of City Legacy, said the village was one of the most significant urban developments in the UK and would benefit from many improvements, such as transport infrastructure, in the east end linked to the Games.
He added: "Housebuilders are witnessing growing optimism in the Scottish housing market with sales currently at the highest we have seen for several years. This is reflected at the village where nearly 1000 people have already registered their interest in the 300 homes available to buy.
"The development offers a range of affordable homes, from one and two bedroomed apartments to four bedroomed detached properties to suit different needs and budgets."
The development is 92% complete, nine months before the Games commence, and is due to be handed over to the 2014 organising committee in January.
Team Scotland has already selected its accommodation for the Games, although which properties and where within the development are being kept under wraps.
During the Games 6500 athletes will stay within the village, with a limited refit, involving the installation of kitchens, taking place from next September.
Unlike some of the flatted properties which have sprung up across the city in the past decade, the village homes will have a life-span of between 80 and 90 years.
All the homes feature a combination of high quality thermal insulation, air-tightness and solar panels, with cheaper energy bills a key selling point.
The mix of energy efficient features and the heat and power plant centrally providing warmth and hot water is expected to reduce bills by an average of around £500-a-year.
Built on once-contaminated land, City Legacy insist the development would never have gone ahead without the Games as the catalyst but the plans now are for a further 700 properties on the site within the next decade.
Councillor Archie Graham, political head of the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow City Council, said: "The huge interest expressed in what will become a fantastic new community after the Games shows how desirable a location this is.
"Situated very close to the Clyde and a few miles from the city centre, with outstanding environmental credentials that will deliver lower living costs for tenants and owners, the Athletes' Village is an inspirational example of what can be achieved by a new development."
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