Voice of the Region: Hampshire – Marine propulsion

The industrial market is booming in the super-connected county of Hampshire but with a coastal boundary and two national parks to contend with, land has never been in shorter supply, according to Hellier Langston director Andy Hellier.

Hellier Langston is the highest-placed regional agent in the Radius On Demand Rankings for Hampshire with 444,162 sq ft transacted so far this year across 37 deals. It operates from offices in Fareham, near Portsmouth, as well as Southampton.

Southampton, which is the UK’s second biggest container port, is linked via the M27 to Portsmouth, itself a major passenger port, and this motorway connectivity is rare along the south coast and makes it attractive to the logistics and shipping services sectors. Hellier says the office market is also in tentative recovery, although he believes the pandemic means the days of single-let office buildings in the county are over.

The biggest challenge, however, is land. In Portsmouth particularly, which is a densely populated island, there is no land available and Hellier hopes planning laws can be made more flexible to help remedy this.