Photo: L-R Kier chief exec Stuart Togwell, Head of DEC Beth Russell, chancellor Rachel Reeves, Darlington MP Lola McEvoy, Cabinet Office minister Anna Turley, and GPA Director of Capital Projects Simon Hulme. Photo: Dave Charnley Photography.
Construction of a new government hub in Darlington has got under way with a breaking ground ceremony led by chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The Brunswick Street hub will accommodate more than 1,600 civil servants and is expected to officially open in the first quarter of 2028 as the permanent home of the Darlington Economic Campus.
Staff from seven government departments, including the Treasury and the Department for Education, will be based in the office.
The project is being led by the Government Property Agency as part of its Government Hubs Programme. Last month, the GPA signed an agreement confirming Kier Group as lead contractor on the project, enabling construction of the five-storey office to begin this month. The company had started ground remediation works in September to prepare the site for construction.
Reeves said the construction of the hub demonstrates the government’s “long-term commitment to Darlington and to making economic decisions right across the country, not just in Westminster”.
She was joined at the ceremony celebrating the first day of construction by Cabinet Office minister Anna Turley; DEC head and Treasury permanent secretary Beth Russell; GPA director of capital projects Simon Hulme; Kier chief exec Stuart Togwell; and Darlington MP Lola McEvoy.
Turley said: “Breaking ground on this new hub is a major milestone in our mission to bring the civil service closer to the communities it serves.”
Hulme added: “We are thrilled that construction of another government hub is now under way. Today’s ceremony is not only a landmark occasion for the Brunswick Street development but also a huge milestone for the GPA as we continue our ambition to provide great places to work for the civil service and support regional growth across the UK.”
The campus forms part of the Government Hubs Programme, which aims to support economic growth across the UK through the redevelopment of brownfield sites or repurposing existing buildings to create efficient and sustainable workplaces.
Along with DfE and HMT, the campus will be home to officials from the Department for Business and Trade; Department for Culture, Media and Sport; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Office for National Statistics; and Competition and Markets Authority.