Muir Group Housing Association opened its doors to invited guests to celebrate the official opening of its new Chester headquarters.

The housing association, which manages about 5,000 properties, held an event at its new office in Lightfoot Street, Hoole, with guests including the Lord Mayor and Mayoress, board members past and present, staff, neighbours and local councillors.

Speeches were made by chairman David Booth and former chairman and board member Anthony Diggle.

A commemorative plaque was also unveiled by Mr Diggle, who retired from the board in 2011, and John Cheshire and Brian Bailey, long-standing board members who are due to retire in September.

“I have been involved with Muir Group Housing Association for more than 40 years and have seen it grow and evolve over the decades,” said Mr Diggle.

“Muir Group’s impressive headquarters have been developed to the highest standard and further strengthen its ability to continue providing decent and well run housing at affordable rents for our residents for years to come.”

Guests were given tours of the office including its green features such as an energy efficient heating system, triple glazed windows, external tiling and rendering for increased insulation.

They were also shown how Muir Group has invested heavily in upgrading and installing new technology managed by the Group’s ICT Team.

The new headquarters has undergone a £2m refurbishment and brings together staff from Muir Group Housing Association’s area office in Helsby and former HQ in Chester city centre to further improve efficiency throughout the organisation.

“This new building and the enhanced facilities and efficiencies it offers will support our staff to better serve our residents, which is our main priority,” said David Booth.

“It was fantastic to see so many people at our official opening ceremony celebrating this important step in Muir Group’s timeline.”

As well as its new headquarters in Hoole, Muir Group Housing Association also has area offices in Winsford, Huntingdon, Blackpool and Burnley.