The average house price in Kent is nearly 16% lower than the average for the South East, a study into the county’s property market is expected to reveal today.

The Kent Property Market Report will show a vast range in prices across the Garden of England, with the average house sold for £445,732 in Sevenoaks compared to £194,420 in Thanet.

The study will show the county saw a 10.4% rise in prices last year, compared to 8.1% across the South East, with the county also seeing a 17% increase in the number of properties sold, well ahead of the South East average.

The report is expected to show an increase in on-site works and applications for housing after a poor period from 2013 to 2014, with just 3,628 homes completed.

It will say there were 27,237 property transactions in Kent last year, the highest since 2008.

The report, launched today at the Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel, has been compiled by Caxtons Chartered Surveyors, Kent County Council and investment-seeking group Locate in Kent.

Caxtons’ chairman Ron Roser said: “Consumer confidence has fuelled the residential market with a promise of almost 27,000 new homes for the county. There is marked activity on development sites across the county.

“This buoyancy has proved to be an impetus to major regeneration schemes with a strong residential component.

“In general, improving infrastructure and on-going regeneration has positively and directly benefited Kent, presenting us with many more opportunities than in the recent past.”

The report will also show a return of growth in the office rental sector in Kent, although this is expected to be slightly behind the national and South East averages.

It states rents in the county are relatively affordable when compared to the rest of the region, making Kent an attractive proposition for relocating and expanding businesses.

Elsewhere, rental growth of 0.2% in the county’s warehouse sector outperformed UK and regional averages, while the retail sector also saw growth after five years of falling rents.

Locate in Kent chief executive Paul Wookey said: “In terms of growth across the key sectors, this year’s property market report is one of the strongest in recent times.

“A number of strands are coming together now that make Kent particularly attractive to businesses, from Growth Deal funding to infrastructure projects and increased confidence..." - Paul Wookey, Locate in Kent

“A number of strands are coming together now that make Kent particularly attractive to businesses, from Growth Deal funding to infrastructure projects and increased confidence.

“But that all brings with it the key challenge of ensuring that new office, warehouse and industrial space is coming forward sufficiently quickly to meet the increased demand we are seeing for commercial property.”

The launch of the report will also see Kent County Council leader Paul Carter unveil plans for investment in infrastructure across the county, using conclusions from the Kent and Medway Growth and Infrastructure Framework.

It will identify that £6.74 billion of infrastructure developments will need to happen in Kent by 2031 to achieve its target of 160,000 homes and more than 135,000 jobs in the next 16 years.

It will also point out there is a funding shortfall of more than £2 billion for such investment.

Mr Carter said: “The resulting infrastructure challenge is one we face collectively across local authorities, the development industry, our communities and national Government.

“The solution to this challenge will not come from the public sector alone, nor can we simply expect to get all of this from the industry.

“We need real innovation in how we work with the private sector and Government to get the most out of the resources we have, whilst introducing new ways of leveraging funding and capturing value from development.”