Growth for house building in Perth and Kinross

The news has been welcomed as a key indicator of economic growth in the area.

In the year to 31 March 2016 over 500 new houses were built on sites of 5 or more properties. This is a 49 per cent increase from the previous year, and well ahead of the 4 per cent increase shown in the most recently published national figures.

The news was welcomed by Councillor Ian Miller, leader of the administration for Perth & Kinross Council, said: “This is a really 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 per cent 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.

“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.

“Perth is a great place to work, and for residents commuting to work in other cities there are frequent train services to Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. 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.

“Perth offers all of the strategic benefits of being centrally located in Scotland but without bearing the high land and property prices associated with other major cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow. Businesses here enjoy a quality business environment in a beautiful setting along with unrivalled quality of life all whilst being highly connected to the rest of Scotland and beyond.

“Perth has excellent transport links providing a strategic location from which to access Scotland’s world class assets and to access regional, national and international markets. Scotland’s two major international airports, in Edinburgh and Glasgow, are also accessible in under an hour by road, providing excellent connectivity to the rest of the UK and beyond.

“This unrivalled connectivity ensures that businesses locating in Perth enjoy all of Scotland’s key attributes without having to pay the higher land and property prices making it a cost effective and competitive location; which makes Perth a highly attractive option whether locating, relocating or investing.”