Manufacturers are responding to the government's concern about the lack of housing for key workers by expanding their prefabrication capacity.
Yorkon, a Yorkshire-based maker of prefabricated components, is to create a dedicated production line for housing, and blockmaker H+H Celcon is to establish a UK production line for its Jamera precast concrete system.

Meanwhile, timber-frame maker Stewart Milne is opening a 4000-unit-a-year factory in Witney, Oxfordshire. Other players in the market, such as Westbury Homes, are stepping up production.

This means that the UK's capacity to produce factory-built homes could increase by up to 10,000 units over the next year. "We can be fairly certain there will be a demand," said Peter Jenkins, national account manager with Yorkon. "There is no doubt that this is the way to go."

n Building is hosting a one-day conference, Factory-Built Homes: The Next Phase, at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham on 27 June. This will look at the industry's latest innovations, including timber-frame enterprise the Home Factory.

John Miles, director and chairman of the Housing Forum's off-site fabrication working party, will chair the event. For more details, contact JSB Marketing on 01793-881946.