HOUSING growth in Castle Point has slowed dramatically leading to a shortfall of more than 500 homes new figures reveal.

Targets set by the East of England Plan meant Castle Point was previously expected to deliver 4,000 new homes between 2001 and 2021 - an average of 200 new properties a year.

Statistics, released last week, show the borough fell significantly short, only meeting the targets twice in the last eleven years.

A total of 1,618 new properties have been built in Castle Point since 2001, only 5.4 per cent of which were classified as affordable homes.

In the last financial year, 2011/12 only 51 additional homes were built in the borough.