THE waiting list for council housing in the district is so long it could take 12 years to clear, the charity Shelter has warned.

A national survey by the group has revealed there are more than 4,600 people waiting to be housed in the region, but that Epping Forest District Council only let 371 properties last year.

Caroline Davey, Shelter’s deputy director of policy and campaigns, said: “The figures clearly show the desperate lack of affordable housing in Epping Forest and how we are simply not building enough homes to meet the growing demand.

“The news will be a major blow to thousands of people who may have to spend this Christmas, and many more to come, in run down or unaffordable housing, or possibly trapped in temporary or overcrowded accommodation.”

However the 12 year figure is still above both the average in Essex of six years and the national average of 6.7 years.

Commenting on Shelter's report, Cllr David Stallan, the council's portfolio holder for housing, said: "The council shares Shelter's concern about the increasing number of applicants on our Housing Register.

"Indeed, the number increased by 20 per cent within the first four months of this year alone.

"One of the difficulties facing local people is that, even though house prices have fallen over the last year or so, they still remain very high.

"Indeed, recent research from the National Housing Federation found that Epping Forest has the third highest average property prices of the 48 local authority areas in the East of England. Property prices are over 14 times higher than average earnings, compared to the regional average of under 11 times."

He added that an increase in affordable housing in the district was a "priority" for the council.

He said: "We have been working closely with housing associations to enable them to complete 107 new affordable homes this year, and are expecting them to complete over 200 additional affordable homes next year.

"The council has also set up a small working group of councillors specifically to look at innovative ways of increasing the amount of affordable housing in Epping Forest. The working group expects to present its recommendations to the Council's Cabinet in February 2010."