AN environmentally-friendly business development in Durham has won £835,000 in European funding.

Rivergreen Developments will get the money to provide 48,000sq ft of office and conference space for small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) at Aykley Heads.

The Rivergreen Centre will provide more than 200 jobs in a building designed to have a minimal impact on the environment.

The building, due to be completed by August, will have a roof covered with a living blanket of sedum, which will reduce the amount of rainwater run-off. Rainwater will be collected and used for most non-drinking purposes in the building and the central heating will be provided by a biomass boiler fuelled by recycled wood pellets.

The building will extensivesly use structural timber rather than steelwork and the external walls and roof will be constructed from insulated timber framed panels. The timber will be mainly locally-sourced.

John Rundle, Europe director for the Government Office for the North-East (Gone), said: "This is a great example of an organisation that is building for the future - thinking about the impact that the development will have on the environment around them.

"It is becoming increasingly important for new developments to build environmental sustainability into their plans and European funding is made available to support this."

Rivergreen managing director Peter Candler said "Rivergreen is committed to sustainable development with minimal environmental impact and the support of Gone has been essential in helping us achieve our aspiration of creating a building that will be a landmark both regionally and nationally in terms of its energy efficiency and sustainability."