Aberdeenshire Council has invested more than £45m in building new council homes over the past five years.

The investment, which has been made possible with funding from the Scottish Government, has meant 335 new homes have been delivered for the region, as well as an increased boost to local employment.

A report is expected to go before the Social Work and Housing Committee next month which will outline the work that is being carried out in five phases.

In 2009, the council made its first successful bid for government funding and received £875,000 that April to help build 35 new properties in Tarves, Mintlaw and Johnshaven.

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In December 2009, funds of £1.8m saw the development of 74 homes in Laurencekirk, Stonehaven, Banff and Inverurie.

The next investment was in June 2010, when the local authority was awarded £1.35m to construct 45 new homes in Alford, Stonehaven and Cruden Bay. This was followed by a Scottish Government grant of £330,000 in September 2011, to support the development of 11 additional units in Cruden Bay.

In a statement, the Council said all properties from the four above phases of construction are now complete and occupied.

With regards to the fifth phase of work, 170 new council properties will be built in Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Peterhead, Ballater, Wetshill and Banff. The builds are at various stages of development, but the majority are expected to be complete by March 2015.

(JP/IT)