FIFTEEN years of aggressive expansion have been marked with the opening of a new head office for a Worcestershire housing developer.

Neil Grinnall Homes officially opened its new headquarters, at Hadzor Hall, Hadzor, near Droitwich, on Friday.

Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire Peter Luff cut the ribbon while about 100 guests looked on at the new offices in a refurbished outbuilding on the 54-acre estate of the Grade II listed hall.

Neil Grinnall Homes is responsible for many of Worcester's inner-city living schemes including the new canal-side apartments, in Diglis Road, and the 41 canal-side apartment scheme in Bath Road currently under construction.

The company is also converting the former Kays Catalogue offices, in The Tything, Worcester, into loft apartments and office suites, and is building townhouses and apartments behind the Grade II listed facade of an adjoining Kay's building.

It also successfully sought approval from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to convert the 18th Century stable block at Hadzor Hall and construct Georgian style townhouses to provide 82 new homes.

Chairman Neil Grinnall said the company, which was established in 1989 and now employs 30 people, was setting its sights on large-scale brownfield regeneration opportunities with an aggressive strategy for acquiring derelict, previously used sites.

"Today is a celebration of how far the company has come in the last 15 years and marks the beginning of the next era," he said.

"The Hadzor Hall development is hugely significant to us as it epitomises the complexity of the work we undertake. It was an obvious location for the centre of our operations.

"Our expansion to date has been predominantly in the Worcestershire area, where we've optimised our strong local reputation, vision and branding. With the move to new premises and growth of the in-house team, this has opened up new opportunities to broaden our remit to encompass larger brownfield regeneration projects with not only a regional, but also a national focus.

"Within Worcestershire, our multi-million pound land portfolio will enable us to transform a vast quantity of neglected, derelict space in Worcester city centre, reclaim waterside frontages and provide new leisure, retail and commercial facilities for local people. I am very excited about the opportunities we have to make such a significant impact to the region."