The Herald has reported that developers want to build the houses in a multi-million pound scheme near Scone.

But now concerns have been raised to planning officers that beavers could be living close to the site.

A public consultation was due to end on Friday, but residents have been given an extra month to respond to the new information.

Perth and Kinross Council has received 790 letters and emails about the proposal. Almost all are calling for the scheme to be rejected, or delayed.

A spokeswoman for developers A&J Stephen said: “We have been asked by Perth and Kinross Council to submit a report considering the presence of beavers in the proximity of the site.

“In response to this, we appointed a consultant to conduct an investigation. His report confirms that there are beavers downstream of the site, however they are not present within the site, and states that if they eventually migrated to the site, mitigation measures could be implemented through a beaver management plan.”

Opponents claim the development will increase traffic through Scone, aggravating pollution and congestion problems.

The council is being urged not to allow the scheme to go ahead before a long-awaited £113 million Cross Tay Link Road is built, providing a link between Scone and the A9 trunk road.

In 2015, studies concluded that Tayside beavers, which originated from escapes or illegal releases, had settled in well to the local environment with proposals to trap or cull the rogue beavers proving controversial.