A £14 million investment in two new sites is to spearhead housebuilder Crest Nicholson's growth in the region.

The luxury developments at Sutton Coldfield will provide buyers with the latest in high quality apartments and takes the company's regional portfolio past the 13 mark.

It also highlights the demand for contemporary living outside of city centres, a trend that the company has already enjoyed success with at Bournville, Kenilworth and Wythall.

"We've slowly seen the housing market begin to pick up again and there is a significant amount of optimism for the year ahead as both purchasers and investors look to have re-found their appetite for property," said Keith Hazeldine, sales and marketing director at Crest Nicholson.

He added: "Sutton Coldfield, like its local counterpart Solihull, is beginning to attract an increasing number of buyers, all keen to enjoy 'apartment living' without the hectic lifestyle attached with city centres.

"Offering its own thriving community of shops, bars and restaurants, the town has also benefited from the nearby M6 Toll Road and improved links to the motorway network and commercial hubs of Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry."

Four Oaks, a collection of 16, two and three-bedroom luxury apartments, has recently gone on sale and is already attracting the interest of professionals, 'downsizers' and people looking for a base in both the UK and overseas.

"Initial interest has been high, which bodes well for our second development in Sutton Coldfield," said sales manager Marilyn Richards.

"Just a few minutes drive away from Four Oaks, Foley Road is a similar style scheme providing 17, two and three-bedroom luxury apartments."

Crest Nicholson Midlands, which was also behind the Harvest Fields scheme in Sutton Coldfield, is one of the fastest growing divisions in the group, employing 80 people and notching up sales in excess of £100 million.

The award winning developments of Park Central and Bournville Park has paved the way for strong growth, with 2006 set to see further sites added at Leamington Spa and Nottingham.

Meanwhile, Wolverhampton-based housing developer Urban3 sold nearly double the number of new homes it had expected to over the weekend after househunters snapped up half of the 36 properties on its Riverside Walk scheme in Stafford.

Director Mike Davidson said: "We are absolutely delighted with the response."