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Offices (covers Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth)                              
Analysis of market strength and future trends.
Contact: Joanna Bourke, senior writer, 020 7911 1816, joanna.bourke@estatesgazette.com

Retail (covers both counties)
Analysis of the market strength and future trends.
Contact: Helen Hamilton, freelance writer, 07758 833735 bluesomeh@gmail.com

Residential & Student Housing (covers Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester)
Analysis of the strength of the market and future trends.
Contact: Liz Loxton, freelance writer, 01992 581975, lizloxton@virginmedia.com

Basingstoke
Analysis of strength of the market and future trends
Contact: David Thame, freelance writer - 01544 262 896, dthame@clara.co.uk

Industrial (South Coast)
Analysis of the strength of the market and future trends across the South Coast.
Simon Jack, freelance writer - 01225 444 780, simon@sdjack.freeserve.co.uk

Market health check
Please contact Stacey Meadwell, regional editor, 020 7911 1819, stacey.meadwell@estatesgazette.com if you think you can provide up to date stats for offices, retail and industrial sectors in the following centres Southampton, Plymouth, Bournemouth & Basingstoke

Money deals are always good news in today's cash strapped times so great to hear that  Brewary Square Development Company has secured £14m from Bank of London and The Middle East for its Dorchester regeneration project.

The money will go towards construction of phase two - there are six phases in total - of the Brewary Square scheme which will comprise 64 homes and 14 commercial units. Crucially, and I'm sure a contributing factor to the signing of the cheque, 75% of the residential space has be forward sold and a number of the commercial units are pre-let to fashion retailers.

* Keep an eye out on the Focus blog later in the week for our Hampshire and Dorset Focus synopsis and coverage of our Southampton reception which is being held on Wednesday

With our Hampshire and Dorset Focus coming up we've been sent these lovely CGi's of Brewery Square Development Company's scheme in Dorchester. The £100m mixed use development called Brewery Square saw its second phase start construction earlier this year following pre-lets to the likes of Odeon Cinemas, Cafe Rouge and Hobbs.

It is always good to see CGi's of something that is actually under construction in these cash-strapped times.

EGi subscribers can get the full low-down on the scheme on the Shopping Centre database.

 

Southampton
Analysis of market strength
Contact: David Thame, freelance writer, 01544 262 896
dthame@clara.co.uk

Portsmouth
Analysis of market strength
Contact: Adrian Morrison, freelance writer, 07818 013 233
adrian.morrison@addmor.com

Market in numbers
Covers offices, retail and industrial in Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.
Email Stacey.meadwell@estatesgazette.com if you think you can provide up to date statistics for the markets listed above.

Southampton                       
Analysis of market conditions and trends across retail, offices & residential
Contact: Daniel Cunningham, acting deputy regional editor, 020 7911 1822, Daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com

Public sector
Analysis of the impact of the coalition government's localism agenda.
Contact: Karen Day, freelance writer, 07971 671 369, karen.day@dsl.pipex.com

Basingstoke
Analysis of market conditions and trends across the offices and retail sectors
Contact: David Thame, freelance writer, 01544 262 896, dthame@clara.co.uk

Industrial
Analysis of market conditions across the two counties.
Simon Jack, freelance writer - 01225444 780, simon@sdjack.freeserve.co.uk

Bournemouth & Poole
Analysis of market conditions and trends across the offices, retail and residential sectors.
Simon Jack, freelance writer - 01225444 780, simon@sdjack.freeserve.co.uk

Market in numbers
Please contact Stacey Meadwell, regional editor, 020 7911 1819, stacey.meadwell@estatesgazette.com if you think you can provide up to date stats for offices, retail and industrial sectors in the following centres Southampton, Plymouth, Bournemouth & Basingstoke

 

Everyone likes a bit of good news and a new report for EGTV may have found it down on the south coast in deepest darkest Dorset.

It seems sparkly magic dust, or the Olympics effect if you prefer, is being sprinkled liberally on the seaside town where sailing events will be hosted in 2012. Investment for the event and the prospect of a boost in tourist numbers is cited as reasons for the confidence.

Local firm DJ Property has a number of office and industrial units under construction and its chief executive Mickey Jones reckons the boost in interest will mean that all will be let or thereabouts by the time the scheme completes in August. Indeed the term "recession proof" is used. If you don't believe me just click on the video below.

Lets all move to Weymouth then. (For more on the story click here)

There's always a lot of ground to cover in our Focus on the south coast counties so here are just some of the highlights of what will be appearing in tomorrow's magazine:

Southampton After the party there is the clearing up to do and this is what the city now faces as cruise operator Carnival consolidates it staff into one shiny new building. I look at what space is left behind and its impact on the market when there is already plenty of secondhand space.

Portsmouth Melanie Smith debates the merits of Highcross's new 275,000 sq ft office scheme and whether it will transform the market as hoped.

Winchester More second hand space dilemma's as the council chooses to make do with revamping and extending it's existing space.

Bournemouth The council at the seaside town has grand regeneration plans but as the deadline for submissions from potential private sector passes, Nadia Elghamry asks whether it is being overly ambitious?

Agency For a market in the grip of a recruitment freeze and job culls there seems to be a lot of movement among Southampton's agency staff. I look at what's been happening and talk to some of those who've decided to set up on their own in the toughest of market conditions.

John Lewis is one of those relatively rare beasts in that while everyone else was in the doldrums it announced that it wanted to expand.

Unfortunately for them that coincided with developers shutting up shop and big box units of the size John Lewis wanted simply dried up. So, its had to take a slightly different approach to get its hands on the space it needs.

John Lewis at home is that answer, the first time the retailer has launched a new format in two decades, and the first one opens in Poole, Dorset today. 

It uses a second hand store (something John Lewis either, simply hasn't entertained before, or, more probably, its struggled to find a big enough existing unit) and is a refurbishment of the 40, 000 sq ft former Courts unit on Land Securities' Poole Retail Park.

 

Standing on the balcony of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club with the sun shining and the yachts shimmering it was easy to forget the troubled economy and market turmoil.

But appearances can be a little deceptive and there was understandably a slightly sombre feel to our annual Southampton Focus reception which saw agents from the four corners of Hampshire and Dorset in attendance.

Over a glass of something cold and a canape or two, there was talk of redundancies as work levels have diminished but there were still some positive stories to tell about new jobs and new start ups.

Melanie talked to a few of the guests about their thoughts on the state of the market and you can listen to what they said by clicking here.

If you'd like to talk to the journalists writing the features for the Hampshire, Dorset and South Wilts Focus click here for the synopsis.

The Focus will be published in EG on October 31 alongside a report on the event but in the meantime here are a few pictures:

 

Photos by Marcus Rose all rights reserved

Hopefully the sun will have shone on our annual Southampton reception today - the Southampton yacht club is the perfect place when you can throw open the doors and use the balcony while discussing the serious business of the property market.

There will be more on the reception on this blog tomorrow.

This is the synopsis we are launching - it's probably one of the longest we produce because there are so many places to cover. Get in touch with the writers if you work in any of these markets or have a view on how the recession is affecting property agents in the area. Click continue reading for all the details.