Almost 1500 civil servants from teams including the Department for Culture Media and Sport and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are set to be based in the North East.
Planning permission has been granted to construct a 5-storey, 10,000sq m government hub in Darlington.
The new office on Brunswick Street hopes to build on the success of the Darlington Economic Campus, which includes Feetham House and Bishopsgate House in the town centre.
“The new development will support Darlington’s economy and allow the Civil Service to draw on talent and skills across the region,” stated Georgia Gould, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office.
“This Government is committed to economic growth in every region of the UK and we will get behind cities and towns to deliver new jobs and opportunities for their communities.”
Plans were put forward by the Government Property Agency (GPA) and the campus will be home to 1400 civil servants from:
- HM Treasury
- the Department for Business and Trade, for whom Darlington will be the second headquarters
- the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,
- the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero,
- the Office for National Statistics,
- the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology,
- the Department for Culture, Media and Sport,
- and the Competition and Markets Authority.
It also includes the Department for Education, which has been based in Darlington since the 1960s.
“This is excellent news for our departmental clients and for the town of Darlington,” added Mark Bourgeois, the GPA’s CEO.
“We are delighted to achieve planning permission for this development which will help deliver on the Government’s mission in supporting economic growth in the region.
“It also supports the transformation of the Civil Service through delivery of a modern, inspirational and energy-efficient office complex.”
Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury Beth Russell said:
“This is a great step forward in developing the Darlington Economic Campus. With over 920 new Civil Service jobs already created in the town and 480 more to come, we are offering the opportunity for people in the North East to do government jobs that were traditionally only available in London, making government policy-making more reflective of the communities we serve.”
Work is set to begin later this year, with completion earmarked for 2027.
