focus on southampton Southampton’s transformation
Southampton’s ambitious city centre Master Plan has played a pivotal role in the city’s transformation over the past five years, delivering almost £2 billion worth of development with proposals for at least a further £1b in the pipeline
Southampton has established an enviable reputation for delivering large-scale investment projects and the Council is continuing to work with like-minded investors, developers, and occupiers who want to join in the city’s success.
The ambitious plans for the city forecast up to 24,000 new jobs and £3b investment over the next 20 years, with the aim being to create a city centre that enhances Southampton’s appeal as a great place to do business, visit and live.
However, this isn’t all about new buildings and development – it’s about the jobs they bring. Southampton’s unemployment rate stands at just 1.6% and the ground breaking approach to supporting city residents into work and new careers ensures businesses are gaining great employees.
Walking around the city today, just five years on, and it already looks a very different place. Evidence of the clear vision set out in the Master Plan is there for all to see:
• The new leisure and dining development at Westquay South is complemented by superb public- realm improvements with the city’s medieval walls providing a dramatic backdrop to the events space.
• Studio 144, located in the cultural quarter brings two world-class arts organisations – Nuffield Southampton Theatres (NST) and the John Hansard Gallery – into the heart of the city together with media and film specialists City Eye along with restaurants and apartments.
• Southampton Solent University’s new Spark building will soon be
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joined by a new high-quality sports and teaching facility as part of a £100 million estate redevelopment plan that will transform the East Park Terrace campus.
• Bow Square is Southampton’s first private rental scheme of 280 one and two-bed apartments and 900 sq m of commercial space which replaces the former rundown warehouses of the fruit and vegetable market.
These ‘Very Important Projects’ (VIPs), identified for redevelopment, are now
becoming part of Southampton’s new landscape and contributing to the creation of a vibrant and energetic city centre. If you look at the VIP projects set out in the Master Plan all of them are either completed, under construction or in the development pipeline. More major schemes than any time since the post-war years are underway or have already been completed.
Having the Master Plan in place has given investors confidence to commit their money into the future of the city, and the VIP projects have acted as the stimulus for other developments across the city centre. These include Southampton Harbour Hotel and Spa and associated residential development at Ocean Village, the Admiral’s Quay residential and restaurant scheme (also at Ocean
Village), hotels for Premier Inn and Travelodge, and a plethora of student housing and office refurbishment projects.
Investors are now attracted to Southampton, they know that if they approach the Council things are going to happen.
Studio 144 image courtesy Thierry Bal
Improving the public realm has undoubtedly changed how people feel about walking around the city. There have been major improvements to the built environment running from north to south and east to west of the city centre.
There is obvious investment in infrastructure and the QE2 mile, Guildhall Square, Station Quarter North, and Kingsbridge Lane are great examples of this. Funding from central government and Associated British Ports (ABP) has been used to create major improvements to the highway access to the Eastern Docks. These improvements have supported Southampton’s role as the major Northern European cruise port with more than 500 ship visits in 2017 and
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2017
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