The Gazette and Faversham News’s new offices have helped its parent company win an industry-wide award for being green.

Gazette House, purpose built at the Estuary View business park on the outskirts of Whitstable, was just one of the reasons why the KM Group was named Environmental Newspaper Company of the Year in the 2009 Newspaper Awards.

Judges were impressed with the building because all kitchen equipment is energy efficient, hand dryers that use 80 per cent less energy have been installed, there are water savers in each toilet, the low energy lighting switches off when an area is not in use, it has a recirculating hot water system, specially-coated double glazing that keeps the heat in during the winter and out in the summer was installed, showers and cycle racks are in place so that staff can cycle or walk to work and recycling bins replaced wastepaper baskets.

The construction of Gazette House was also environmentally friendly with 350mm insulation, pressure testing to ensure heat does not escape, the hardcore used in the foundations and roadways were from demolished buildings and block paving was laid on recycled crushed glass rather than sand.

On top of all this, the supply and disposal of the materials used to produce newspapers, the KM Group’s digital newspapers service, which offers 21 titles online, and green community initiatives such as the KM Walking Bus also helped to sway the panel.

KM Group operations director Duncan Gray said: “This is a very satisfying award to win because it’s an area of our business we have worked very hard to improve.

“It was also rewarding to find ourselves in such elite company.”

The company beat off competition from the Guardian Print Centre, Trinity Mirror Printing and Trafford Park Printers to win the award.

Meanwhile, the KM Group was the only regional media group to be short-listed in the Electronic News Site of the Year category with its news website www.kentonline.co.uk, sister site to www.kentishgazette.co.uk.

Joint winners in this category were bbc.co.uk and timesonline.co.uk. Others shortlisted were ft.com, guardian.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk and belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

The KM Group’s Kent Messenger newspaper which covers the Maidstone area, was the only regional newspaper shortlisted in the Most Outstanding Use of Colour category was the only newspaper published in the county shortlisted in the Weekly Newspaper of the Year category.