Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, was joined by first minister Nicola Sturgeon, Ed Monaghan of the City Legacy consortium, Gordon Sloan, chair, Glasgow Housing Association, Charlie Turner, chief executive, Thenue Housing Association and Carron Garmory, chief executive, West of Scotland Housing Association to greet the first residents on Friday.

Councillor Gordon Matheson said: “This is a special day for Glasgow, as we mark the first residents of the Athletes’ Village. The Athletes’ Village will always have a special place in the hearts of Glaswegians when we think back to the fantastic Commonwealth Games, but today we look to the future and an exciting new neighbourhood for Glasgow.

“The build quality of these homes is the highest in a housing development in Glasgow, raising the bar in what can be expected in the city and beyond. The city council has received a great deal of praise for the imaginative planning of this development, and I look forward to everyone living here enjoying the success of this new community in the years to come.”

First minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This award-winning new housing development provided a fantastic home for the sporting stars in Glasgow last summer and I am delighted to be able to meet some of the new residents who will be making their new home in this community. The transformation and regeneration of Dalmarnock is an important part of the lasting legacy of the Games. With the Athletes’ Village, the new community hub, the Cuningar Loop woodland, the sporting venues, businesses, jobs and investment, the East End can continue to thrive.”

After a retrofit that began shortly after the Games, the Athletes’ Village has now become a desirable new residential community with 300 private homes, 400 homes for social rent and a new 120-bed care home for the elderly on the 38.5 hectare site.

By end of this week, over 100 of these homes will be occupied, with residents moving into the rest by the end of summer 2015. Of the socially rented homes, 200 will be for Thenue Housing Association, 102 for West of Scotland Housing Association and 98 for Glasgow Housing Association. The sale of the private homes has been phenomenally successful, with over 250 sold already.

The proposal for the Village has high design and environmental standards - the highest in Scotland for a development of this size - and during the construction phase, a massive 98 per cent reduction in carbon emissions was achieved.

In addition, a Combined Heat and Power system developed by Glasgow City Council and built by City Legacy will deliver a 40 per cent reduction in carbon emissions at this world-class eco-village. Solar and photovoltaic panels will provide reduced energy bills - dependant on usage - and export any surplus to the grid.

The construction of the Athletes’ Village saw a peak workforce of 620, with 84 apprentices, 61 other new entrant posts and 139 work placements from City Legacy.

Ed Monaghan of the City Legacy consortium, said: “Today is a significant milestone for everyone who has been involved in the design, construction and the delivery of The Village. The exceptional build quality, the excellent standards of energy efficiency and the unparalleled sustainable nature of the development have been recognised the world over. It’s a tremendous achievement for City Legacy and a fantastic legacy for Glasgow as we officially welcome our residents into their vibrant new east end community.”

Glasgow City Council will build a primary school and nursery school on two sites within and beside the Athletes’ Village.

The removal of temporary facilities around the Athletes’ Village after the Games has released additional land with the potential for further residential development. City Legacy has submitted an application for a further 200 homes - immediately to the south-west of the site - and the development of future phases is being considered.

The residential properties achieved an Excellent rating in an EcoHomes Assessment, as did the care home in a BREEAM assessment. The Athletes’ Village is Housing for Varying Needs compliant and has been awarded Secure by Design accreditation.

The Athletes’ Village has won 20 awards so far, including Best Sustainable Development at the Scottish Business Awards, winner in theLarge Scale Housing Development category at the Scottish Saltire Design Awards, and the Regeneration winner at the Scottish Design Awards.

The Athletes’ Village is very close to both the Emirates Arena and the Clyde Gateway route - linking the M74 to the heart of Glasgow’s East End - which are also very visible examples of the legacy of the Commonwealth Games.

Immediately across the River Clyde from the Athletes’ Village is the Cuningar Loop Woodland Park, a new 15 hectare site with 15,000 trees, due to open in the next few months. The park will be connected to the Athletes’ Village by a bridge later in 2015.

Between the Athletes’ Village and the Emirates Arena is the Dalmarnock Legacy Hub - a centre for the local community featuring a GP surgery, children’s nursery, chemist and shop - which is also due to open over the next few months.

Construction on the Athletes’ Village began in June 2011.