Stewart Milne timber frame division reports £14m new business wins

The buoyant message from Milne, which operates timber frame factories in Oxfordshire and Aberdeen, follows just a week after an announcement that another major timber frame manufacturer – Prestoplan – was set to close.

Milne reported big increases in quotation levels – up 50% on a 24-month rolling average last August and 30% in September.

Notable project wins came in Devon, Cambridgeshire, Greenwich and Oxfordshire, including a 5,000 zero carbon home development.

Stewart Milne Timber Systems group managing director Alex Goodfellow said he expected more new business to follow.

“A rising number of contractors are specifying timber to harness the benefits it offers and this looks good for the future of the industry,” he said.

Rival timber frame company Prestoplan’s parent company Taylor Wimpey announced last week it was consulting all 168 staff at Prestoplan about closing the business.