Sainsbury’s yesterday announced it is to relocate its central London HQ from Holborn to the new King's Cross Central development as part of a move designed to slash its carbon footprint.

Planned for early 2011, the new office will significantly reduce Sainsbury’s office costs and give the company free reign to incorporate a wide range of green technologies into its headquarters.

Roof-mounted wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels, ground source heat pumps, combined heat and power energy generation systems, and solar thermal systems for heating water will all feature in the new development. When combined, the company said that these measures are likely to cut site carbon emissions by 40 percent compared with similar-sized facilities.

Chief executive Justin King said that the company had been attracted to the site by its "outstanding environmental credentials", adding that the move would deliver both improved energy efficiency and cost savings to the business.

A spokeswoman for the company added that the new headquarters formed part of on-going campaign to limit the supermarket's environmental impact.

She said that all various green technologies planned for the new site had all already been trialled or installed at its existing stores and said that the company would also work with Kings Cross Central developer Argent to open a new supermarket on the site that will similarly embrace environmental best practices.