New house building figures have revealed Perth and Kinross is one of the fastest growing regions in Scotland.

Over 500 new homes were built on sites of five or more properties in the year to 31 March 2016.

The figure is a 49% increase compared to last year and is ahead of the 4% increase shown in the latest Quarterly Housing Statistics.

Cllr Ian Miller welcomed the news, saying the data is a positive sign of the "growth and potential" within Perth and Kinross.

"The figures released today build up strong growth last year, when house completions increased from 262 to 343 - a 31% increase - and it's fantastic that this pace of growth is continuing to see 512 house completions in this year on sites where there are 5 or more properties," he said.

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"House building is one of the key indicators of economic growth in a region. These figures show the confidence the building and housing development industry has in Perth and Kinross, and demonstrates that the area has the infrastructure, demand and private sector investment to grow.

"Planned rail investment benefiting the area will make doing business in and from Perth even more convenient in the future.

"Like all areas, house building in Perth and Kinross was severely affected by the global financial crisis, but today's figures in addition to the major housing developments which are already planned for the area in the coming years, show that the industry locally is well on the road to recovery."

(LM)