Greenbox Darlington joins environmental partnership DEEP

Greenbox Darlington, a three-unit industrial and logistics scheme off Tornado Way near the A66, has become the latest member of the Darlington Employers Environmental Partnership (DEEP).

The development, created through a joint venture between Citivale and Partners Group, has already welcomed plumbing, heating and infrastructure merchant Wolseley as its first occupier.

Two further units remain available. Unit 1 measures 215,362 sq ft, while Unit 3 provides 84,947 sq ft of space.

DEEP was launched in 2023 and brings together businesses, education providers and public-sector organisations to share ideas and support efforts to reduce carbon emissions across the town.

Its members include Amazon, Cummins, Darlington College, Teesside International Airport, Teesside University and Darlington Borough Council, alongside smaller local firms.

Greenbox Darlington was built to net zero carbon standards, according to its developers.

Features include steel frames made from 99 per cent recycled material, low-carbon concrete, air source heat pumps and roofs designed to accommodate solar panels.

The scheme was constructed by Winvic, which is also a DEEP member.

James Appleton-Metcalfe, chief executive of Citivale, said joining the partnership would allow the development’s team to share what it had learned during the build while learning from other Darlington organisations.

He said: “We set out to prove that a net zero carbon business park could be commercially credible as well as genuinely sustainable.

“DEEP gives us a platform to share what we’ve learned with other businesses while continuing to learn from their achievements.

“Sustainability only takes big steps forward when it’s a collective effort, and we’re very pleased to be part of that conversation in Darlington.”

Seth Pearson, director of Darlington Cares, which oversees DEEP, said Greenbox Darlington was an “important addition” to the partnership.

He added: “We continue to be delighted by the growth in DEEP’s membership, and welcome Greenbox Darlington as an important addition to the partnership.”

The group holds networking and knowledge-sharing events, publishes updates on members’ sustainability work and has recently launched a podcast series featuring environmental projects across Darlington.

Mr Appleton-Metcalfe said new commercial developments needed to anticipate future environmental requirements rather than only meeting current minimum standards.

He said: “The regulations that commercial buildings will be judged against in the future are already being written.

“A building specified to today’s minimum standards is a building that starts falling behind the moment it’s occupied.

“Greenbox Darlington was built to a specification for where the market is heading, not where it currently sits.”