THE number of new homes being built in Scotland has reached the highest level since the financial crash of 2008.
Official figures show 21,805 houses were built between October 2018 and the end of September 2019 - a rise of 16% on the previous year and the largest number since 2008.
Meanwhile, work on a further 24,873 properties was started in the same period, almost a quarter (24%) more than the previous year and the highest number of construction starts since 2007.
The private sector recorded a 34% increase in the number of new homes that were started, with the figures also showing a 22% increase in the number of council properties under way.
There was a slight decrease of 0.3% in the number of hew housing association homes that were started.
Over the course of 2019, a total of 9,317 homes were delivered as part of the Scottish Government's affordable housing supply scheme - the highest number recorded since 2000.
While there was a fall in the number of affordable homes approved in 2019 - down by 6% to 11,829 - construction work began on 10,765 such properties, a rise of 4% on 2018.
Housing minister Kevin Stewart said more than 91,000 affordable properties had been built since the SNP came to power in 2007 - including 63,000 homes for social rent by either councils or housing associations.
He said the Scottish Government was on target to deliver its commitment to built 50,000 such homes in the current parliamentary term.
Mr Stewart said: "With over 31,000 affordable homes delivered between April 2016 and December 2019, the figures demonstrate that we remain on course to reach our target of 50,000 affordable homes by the end of this Parliament.
"This has been backed by a Scottish Government commitment of more than £3.5 billion to deliver good quality, secure and affordable homes."
He added: "We are delivering more housing for Scotland, which will help support and create jobs, tackle inequality, and create strong, sustainable communities."
While the private sector alone constructed more than 21,000 new homes in the year to the end of September 2007, the construction industry was hit hard by the recession that began in 2008.
The number of new homes being built dropped sharply between 2008 and 2010, before continuing to fall to 10,000 by 2012.
The latest figures showed that in the year to the end of September 2019, the private sector completed 16,444 homes, with construction starting on 17,856 properties.
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