Factory built from Westbury

A NATIONWIDE shortage of plumbers, electricians and bricklayers has led housebuilder Westbury to invest £30m in a new factory that can produce up to 40 pre-fabricated homes a week using unskilled labour.

Based in West Bromwich, the Space4 factory produced and assembled 130 homes in the six months to August with 600 planned for the second half of the year. Eventually the current single-shift production at Space4 will be replaced by a three-shift pattern that will take the factory to its capacity production of 5,000 units a year.

Interest has been shown in Space4 by other housebuilders and finance director John Bennett says negotiations are continuing with two other groups to buy its products.

The average price of a Westbury home rose 14% to £132,400 helping to increase six month pre-tax profits 10% to £31.9m. The interim dividend is lifted 11% to 3.5p while Westbury shares added 5 1/2p to 237 1/2p.