A THRIVING air conditioning and heat pump company has opened its doors at its new Hereford home as it looks to develop its business.

West Mercia Air Conditioning chose Skylon Park in Rotherwas after working closely with the Enterprise Zone team and landowners Herefordshire Council on plans for a site which would accommodate the growing business.

Ben Corner, managing director of West Mercia Air Conditioning, said: “We wanted to build a space which was suitable for our needs and the Enterprise Zone is a good investment for us. Skylon Park is a great business park to be part of, better access, better roads and a better business environment.

“The new building is a more visitor-friendly. We do a lot of service and maintenance on really high-end apartments in London so if they want to come and visit, it’s great to show off not just our company but the thriving business landscape here.

Mr Corner said the company’s previous offices were largely warehouses with some offices built into the space, and they found themselves needing more space as business grew.

He said said the special development status of Hereford Enterprise Zone meant the process of building a new base from scratch was relatively quick and easy, taking around a year from planning to completion.

“We had planning permission that was free to apply for, which helps. We used Herefordshire developers Collins Design & Build throughout the whole process and it’s great to work with local partners where we can," he said.

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"They also have lots of experience working with the Enterprise Zone team so it’s been pretty painless for me.”

Charles Ingleby, chairman of Hereford Enterprise Zone, said West Mercia Air Con was the latest of nearly 40 businesses to have chosen Skylon Park as a base for their operations.

West Mercia Air Conditioning installs, services and maintains both traditional systems and air transfer heat pumps, supplying commercial, industrial and domestic systems.

The company was set up in 1977 by Mr Corner's father Roy, who still works in the business three days a week at the age of 86.

His son joined the company when he was 18 and took over the running of it when he was 40. In that time, the business has grown from three employees to 43 and now trades across the UK.