Amey group, based in Sutton Courtenay, has sold off its housebuilding business, Amey Homes, as part of its bid to concentrate on core activities.

The sale of Amey Homes to Try Group of Middlesex for £4.76m follows the sale of three other businesses by Amey, which earlier this year announced record profits as it declared its intention to grow by buying other firms.

Amey Homes, road company Asfare and all-weather sports surfaces group Sport-Tec are being sold in an effort to concentrate on core activities such as road repairs and maintaining military bases and railways.

Last month Amey formed a new company, Amey RailTec to focus on Rail technology. Amey last year made pre-tax profits of £14.6m, compared to £11m in 1996.

Turnover reached £389.4m, up from £324.6m.

Amey Homes will be renamed Try Homes Southern. Try has agreed to take over Amey Homes's £5.46m debts, as well as its 183 plots of land on 18 sites in South East England.

Try chief executive David Calverley said: "Acquiring the housebuilding division of Amey fits both the growth and market strategy of Try Homes."

Try's latest project is at the Littlemore Hospital, a former Victorian asylum bought from the health authority in a multi-million pound deal.

Try Homes has renamed it "St George's Park" and has opened a sales office on the site to market the 83 'executive' homes and apartments which will be created from the shell of the classical-style limestone building.

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