Darlington heat network zone

Darlington has no district-scale network yet. Its June 2025 report proposes a single strategic zone in the town centre. Trade press has reported a memorandum of understanding between the council and SSE Energy Solutions for a town-wide network, but we have not found a dated council source for it.

1. September 2024

   1Pilot

   Listed among the 28 places in the government's heat network zoning pilot, which published its first outputs in September 2024.

   Source: Heat networks zoning pilot (GOV.UK)

One strategic zone, Darlington Centre, anchored by the Memorial Hospital, the Cornmill shopping centre and the Dolphin Centre. Other zones are East Darlington, Faverdale and Skerningham.

Candidate areas come from government-commissioned studies and council work. They are not legal boundaries. A zone’s boundary is fixed only when it is designated under the zoning regulations.

We have found no appointed or bidding developer for Darlington.

No statutory zone developer can be appointed until a zone is designated. Partners appointed by councils before then are listed as development or delivery partners.

• Darlington College communal network

  Small campus scheme, not district scale.

  Source: Heat network zone opportunity report: Darlington (by Buro Happold)

• 2 Jun 2025Remaining 13 zone opportunity reports published
• 23 Sep 2024First zoning pilot outputs: heat network zone maps

1. Heat networks zoning pilot (updated 25 November 2025) — Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 25 November 2025
2. Heat network zone opportunity report: Darlington (by Buro Happold) — Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2 June 2025

Record last checked 8 November 2026.