THE number of affordable housing in the borough has more than doubled in the past year.

The detail was revealed in Warrington Borough Council’s latest Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report.

There were 291 affordable homes built in 2010/11 compared to 133 the previous year – 189 of which were built for social rent.

And 524 out of 545 new homes were created as part of the regeneration of previously developed land during the year.

Going green was a key factor for homes across the borough with those installing solar panels and 20 new council homes built specifically for older people featuring the eco-friendly panels.

More than £2.7 million was raised from agreements with developers who had put forward schemes across the town – more than six times the figure collected in the previous year.

Clr Terry O’Neill, council leader, said: “I am proud of the significant progress we have made in the past year in the provision of affordable housing in Warrington.

“We have also significantly boosted funding through section 106 agreements and increased our use of solar panels. We now plan to build on this success to make even greater progress in 2012.”

The report is an annual monitoring document which the council is required to publish each year and is available to view at warrington.gov.uk