The council has suspended the right to buy for some tenants

Ministers have accepted the case for 69 rural villages in the region to be designated as "pressured areas".

About 100 tenancies will be affected by the move which means the right to buy their rented housing association house will be suspended for five years.

The pressured area option is designed to help when the right to buy could lead to an affordable housing shortage.

All the villages involved have populations of 400 or fewer and include the likes of Amisfield, Beeswing, Cairnryan, Hightae and Torthorwald.

The suspension of right to buy only applies to tenancies which started either on or after 30 September 2002.

Council housing in Dumfries and Galloway was transferred in 2003 to a new housing association, Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP).

However, the council remains as strategic housing authority with responsibility in areas such as right to buy.

For a long time there has been a lack of provision of social housing in rural areas and I am pleased to see this being acknowledged George McBurnie Planning and environment chairman

Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm said the region had presented a strong case for the suspension.

"Stock transfer to community ownership has brought huge benefits for Dumfries and Galloway," he said.

"The increased investment is already providing more decent and affordable housing which people can afford.

"Alongside this, however, each local authority in Scotland has its own distinct housing needs and has to consider pressures in specific areas.

"Dumfries and Galloway council presented a convincing case in support of its application, with compelling evidence of substantial pressures on affordable housing in these rural villages."

The announcement has been welcomed by Dumfries and Galloway Council convener Tommy Sloan.

"In a rural area such as Dumfries and Galloway, the vibrancy of local communities depends on the availability of reasonably priced rented accommodation," he said.

"This decision helps towards achieving that goal."

Villages like Twynholm are affected by the right to buy suspension

That view was echoed by the chairman of planning and environment services at the council George McBurnie.

"For a long time there has been a lack of provision of social housing in rural areas and I am pleased to see this being acknowledged," he said.

DGHP chairman George Murray said he was delighted that approval had been given for pressured area status.

He said the partnership and council had consulted widely before making the application.

Mr Murray said the response received from the communities involved was "overwhelmingly in favour" of the proposals.

"Individual letters will be sent out this week to every single DGHP tenant living in a pressured area whose right to buy is affected," he confirmed.

"Letters will also be sent to every tenant living in a pressured area whose right to buy is not affected.

"I fully understand how important securing the provision of affordable rented housing is to the future of our smaller communities."