MORE than 600 homes could be up for rent in Glasgow’s Merchant City after a developer announced plans to create a new neighbourhood.

Get Living has secured outline planning permission for the 7.5-acre High Street site.

The firm is best known for being the UK’s leading large scale residential investor and owner operator of the former Athletes’ Village of the 2012 Games.

The deal was secured off-market from a private vendor and will be the firm's first site out of London.

Get Living hopes to bring a new residential neighbourhood comprising more than 600 homes for rent.

The firm will be carrying out detailed planning for the neighbourhood, aiming to start construction of the entire project, in a single phase, within 18 months.

Councillor Frank McAveety, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “I am delighted with this news, another sign of the confidence developers and investors have in the Merchant City and Collegelands as one of the UK’s most attractive investment destinations. The track record of the developers points to another attractive neighbourhood being created in Glasgow.

“This development aligns well with the council’s city centre residential strategy, and our wider plans for the city centre, and I look forward to seeing it progress.”

Rick de Blaby, Deputy Chairman of Get Living, added: “We have been busy over the past four years honing our operational know-how at East Village - the former Athletes’ Village of the London 2012 Games - where we hold 1,439 homes and will soon be opening our doors in Elephant & Castle, where we will be bringing 652 homes for rent.

“We have built a business and a Get Living brand that is scalable across a number of large sites across London and the wider UK; this is the first of several important steps to realise our vision for ambitious growth. We are very excited and proud to be investing in Glasgow, a city steeped in a rich commercial, educational and cultural history and with an ambitious outlook to match our own.”