<b><b>Stewart Milne&amp;’s decision to open a timber frame factory in England underlines the confidence that the system is to take off in the south. Despite this, Wilson Connolly is pulling back from its big timber frame programme. Allison Heller looks at the implications of both moves</b></b><br><b>Timber frame construction has had its fair share of bad publicity since the 1980s, but by all accounts the market is growing rapidly and 2002 is shaping up to be a strong year. Those in the industry are increasingly confident that the days of that Panorama programme are behind them, and the Egan agenda and new Building Regs are fronting a cultural shift in favour of a greater use of timber frame in UK housebuilding. </b><br><b>In its use of timber frame, England is still lagging far behind North America and, closer to home, Scotland - where timber frame has an estimated 60-70% share in the housing market compared to the 8-9% south of the border. But the perception that this is changing is underlined by new ventures in England, such as Scottish-based Stewart Milne Timber Frame&amp;’s decision to build a multi-million pound high-tech plant in Oxford, which opened this year.</b><br><b><b>ongoing battle</b></b><br> The UK Timber Frame …