One of the Midlands fastest growing engineering consultancies, M-EC, has recently acquired a disused chapel in Hugglescote, Leicestershire. Having gained planning permission to convert the distinctive building; the former chapel will become a state-of-the-art headquarters for this rapidly developing, award-winning business.

Representing an investment in the region of £750,000, once works and fit-out have been completed, the plan to relocate M-EC’s headquarters from only a mile away has been brought forward because business growth has meant the existing team can no longer be comfortably accommodated in their current premises.

“We’ve always had expansion and a new HQ on our agenda and realised earlier this year this would be required sooner rather than later,” explained M-EC managing director, Eddie Mewies. “We’re happy to bring this project forward, as the current expansion of the business coinciding with the opportunity to secure this unusual property seemed too good to miss.”

The former Wesleyan chapel, originally built in 1851, is on Station Road in the North West Leicestershire village and provides approximately 3,900 sq ft of office space. It has an attractive frontage and features a large double height internal space, as well as a galleried mezzanine floor and various ante rooms. Once converted it will provide an area of open plan work stations for up to 50 people, together with private offices, staff rooms and facilities, a board room and meeting room plus print room and storage. On site car parking will also be provided for the M-EC team.

Currently employing nearly 70 people, including highly qualified engineers, transport planners, environmental and sustainability specialists, land surveying professionals and 15 apprentices across all disciplines, M-EC has recently opened its latest office in the heart of Nottingham, adding further to regional offices in Birmingham and Milton Keynes alongside the business’s head office in Ibstock, Leicestershire.

“This time last year, we took the decision to open Birmingham and Milton Keynes and both offices have since been thriving,” said director, Alex Bennett. “Encouraged by this we’ve now added Nottingham to better serve our North Midlands clients and with construction work now underway at our new HQ, we are hoping to be ready into move in in March 2017, providing us with a solid basis for the business going forward.”