Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH)
Key Competitive Attractions
South Hampshire, with its two main cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, is the largest urban area in the South of England (outside London), with a population of nearly one million people. It is home to a number of world-class, knowledge-driven companies and is one of the major financial centres in the South of England.
Key Advantages:
- Excellent choice of commercial property: Business and science parks, high end office space, warehousing, incubation and start-up space.
- Skills pool: Expertise in marine, aerospace, defence, ICT, digital/creative industries, logistics, healthcare, financial/professional services, leisure, retail and tourism sectors.
- Communications: Excellent road/rail/air links to other UK cities; London can be reached in approximately 1 hour.
- International airport: Southampton Airport serves over 40 European destinations.
- Major Ports: Southampton is the main gateway for Far East imports to the UK, and the 'Cruise Capital' of the UK. Portsmouth is the UK`s premier roll-on roll-off port for the western channel and passenger services for Continental Europe.
- Strong higher education: The Universities in South Hampshire (Southampton, Portsmouth, Southampton Solent and Winchester) offer research and teaching for around 60,000 students.
- Rich leisure and cultural offer: Shopping at WestQuay Shopping Centre, Southampton, and Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth; numerous wildlife sites across the area, including two national parks - New Forest and South Downs; the Solent - perfect for sailing and watersports; cultural assets, including the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Art Gallery, Rose Bowl (home of Hampshire cricket), two football clubs (Portsmouth and Southampton), Winchester Cathedral, and the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Assistance and Support For New Business Investors
Business support to potential investors is provided by Invest in Portsmouth, led by the Harbour Economic Development Forum (representing Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport and Havant), and Invest in Southampton (representing Southampton, Eastleigh, New Forest, Test Valley and Winchester).
A free, joint property register can be found at www.invest-in-southampton.co.uk and www.invest-in-portsmouth.co.uk.
These online resources allow quick, easy access to a comprehensive list of available premises, including privately owned properties marketed via commercial property agencies, and properties owned by local councils. Properties are regularly added and details are updated daily.
Economic development staff are available for any queries not easily answered by our online services, please call a member of the team on 023 8083 2587.
Businesses moving to the area often require ongoing support and assistance to ensure their relocation proves successful. With this in mind, a team of dedicated Investor Development Managers are available to provide a comprehensive 'aftercare' service.
General information about the South Hampshire area (e.g. housing, education, travel, leisure, and economic information) and strategies and plans are also readily available online at The Partnership for Urban South Hampshire`s web site, www.push.gov.uk, and on the websites for individual councils within the South Hampshire area.
Further business support is provided locally by Business Link, who assist business start-ups and existing businesses with a variety of help and support, including training, business planning, marketing, IT, finance and grants.
Existing Business Base
In 2006, the economies of Southampton and Portsmouth were worth £4,756 million and £3,963 million respectively; both showed a percentage change from 2005 higher than that for the South East and the UK as a whole. The percentage change of both Southampton and Portsmouth together over the 5 years (2001 to 2006) was 31.89%, higher than that for the South East. In terms of the GVA per head, both Southampton and Portsmouth perform well, with figures at £20,800 and £20,178 respectively, both above those for the South East (£20,152) and the UK (£19,430) (Source: Office for National Statistics).
South Hampshire is well recognised for its financial services base and has access to the regional head offices of all major banks, accountancy and law firms.
The area is internationally renowned for its expertise in aerospace, defence, marine, automotive and business services, with advanced manufacturing in specialised sectors such as marine, aerospace and defence-related industries being a particular strength.
Whilst traditional manufacturing industries within South Hampshire have declined, there has been growth in service sector jobs and businesses in the 'knowledge economy'. The area is home to a number of world class, knowledge-driven companies, such as EADS Astrium, BAE Systems, IBM UK, Pall Europe, Chemring and Lockheed Martin.
Improving economic prospects and examples of strong business investment within the two cities is shown in the retail and leisure sectors, with significant transformational projects both completed and under development - such as Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth and West Quay in Southampton.
