COUNCILLORS have fiercely rejected government demands for more housing in Castle Point.

At a meeting of Castle Point Council’s cabinet, members rejected all four options put forward by the East of England Regional Assembly for future growth of the region in the latest version of the East of England plan.

Under the options Castle Point could have to fund room for up to 3,000 more homes between 2026 and 2031 on top of the 5,000 that must be built by 2026.

The council is joining with other council’s in Essex to issue a joint response rejecting the proposals outright.

Leader of the council Pam Challis said: “The borough council believes that there is little capacity in south Essex for such growth and the East of England Regional Assembly should consider alternative proposals to reduce housing growth in the part of the region.”