Westbury plc’s Space4 modular timber frame home business has reported growing interest from external customers, including major housebuilders, housing associations and enquiries from overseas.

The Castle Bromwich-based factory, which supplies most of its units to Westbury Homes, is now quoting for major housebuilders and is involved in producing a range of affordable housing for the Housing Corporation.

It has already supplied panels as external cladding on concrete buildings at a Southern Housing Group development built by Countryside.

Space4 group marketing director Robin Davies said the company was also in the “last four” for the 800-unit Telford Millennium Community Project on regenerated land at East Ketley. The winner, to be announced in late May, will supply all units.

He also reported enquiries from overseas, particularly New Zealand and Australia, from parties expressing interest in securing licences to produce the Space4 product.

Mr Davies said there was growing talk about off-site construction and believed the level of enquiries was due to Space 4’s position as the “leading system of off-site manufacture in the UK”.

He could not confirm whether talks were going on with the Amphion Consortium in the wake of the Torwood timber frame business going into receivership.

  But he added: “We are expecting some of the partners in the consortium to consider Space4 as a serious alternative to the products which would have been supplied through the Torwood factory.”

Space4 production is estimated to shoot up from 600 units to about 2,000 this year (for Westbury projects). The business made a £3.5m loss last year as a result of process and product changes.