Dalton Park Outlet, the leading outlet shopping destination in the North East, has bolstered its sustainability credentials, announcing three impactful initiatives that promote greener, low impact living.
The outlet has partnered with Durham County Council as part of its Towns & Villages transformation programme to introduce a covered bike storage unit which includes a repair station and space for 10 bikes and 4 cargo cycles. It also has integrated Streetpod technology which has the highest police rating for security. By providing better quality, enhanced cycle storage, and as part of its Green Travel Plan, Dalton Park Outlet encourages visitors to travel to the centre in a more cost-effective and eco-friendly way.
In addition to its enhanced bike storage and repair facilities, the outlet has secured funding for a solar- powered e-bike charger. Working with Destination North East England and the North East Combined Authority, Dalton Park will be the only e-bike charger in a retail destination along the NCN1 cycle route, the UK’s first completely carbon-neutral active travel network. Matt McWhinnie, Marketing Manager at Dalton Park Outlet, believes this initiative will “attract more cycling tourists in an ever-growing bike tourism market and will help to increase dwell time at the centre as visitors take a moment to shop while they recharge their bikes”.
David Bowe, Senior Manager at Destination North East England, commented, “We are thrilled to be working with Dalton Park Outlet as one of the first locations to host a new solar- powered e-bike charger, developed by Northumberland-based SME Intelligen. It is fantastic to see this innovation complement Dalton Park Outlet’s broader commitment to sustainable travel and environmental responsibility.”
Cementing its position as a sustainability leader within the UK’s outlet retail market, Dalton Park Outlet has also installed two water bottle refill stations to encourage customers to utilise reusable water bottles while on site, mitigating the need for single use plastic that contributes to pollution and landfill waste. By providing an easy, on-the-go hydration solution, customers will always have access to clean water for free.
These strong steps forward add to Dalton Park Outlet’s existing sustainability programmes. These include its annual tree-planting programme with local schools, its ‘Dale the Whale’ plastic bottle recycling installation made with 745 plastic bottles, its onsite Pollinator Park fostering vital habitats for bees, butterflies and dragonflies – boosting biodiversity in the local area – and its annual team beach clean-up in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society collecting thousands of discarded items of rubbish.
Sustainability plays a huge part in the Dalton Park Outlet culture. Dalton Park is setting the benchmark for how outlets can embrace eco-friendly practices, with innovative steps that help to reduce environmental impact and enhance the local environment and community, all while building on this strong foundation for continuous progress.
Richard Kaye, centre manager at Dalton Park Outlet, commented: “We are incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made towards making our whole shopping experience more sustainable for visitors. There is always more to do but we strongly believe we’re in a good place to drive this forward and continually look at ways we can make more of a positive impact on the local and wider community.”
