Government Property Agency Purchases Land for New Darlington Hub

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27 September 2023

A new government hub in Darlington is set to house up to eight government departments including HM Treasury and the Department for Trade and Business.  

The site will act as the new Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) and has space for over 1,400 civil servants, more than double the capacity of the current building at Feethams House, which will be retained by the Government Property Agency (GPA).

Alongside the Treasury, the campus will house teams from the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Office for National Statistics and the Competition and Markets Authority. 

The DEC is part of the government’s strategy to move civil service roles out of London into regional hubs, aiming to move 22,000 government roles out of the capital by 2030.

The building will be designed in line with the Government Workplace Design Guide, offering a mix of flexible workspaces, refreshment hubs, home zones and meeting rooms.

GPA Contract Tender Coming in Q4 2023

The GPA purchased the land at Brunswick Street from McLaren Property for an undisclosed sum. The construction contract tender is expected to be released via the CCS Construction Works Framework in Q4 2023. Construction will begin in October 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said: “This is good for the local area and good for the Civil Service, as it ensures that Whitehall can take advantage of the wisdom and experience from people all over the UK."

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Gareth Davies added: “People should be able to develop their careers within the Civil Service without moving to London and the Darlington Economic Campus is testament to that.”

Picture: a photograph of the exterior of the current DEC building at Feethams House. Image Credit: HM Treasury 

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 27 September 2023

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