Architects and contractors in the South-east are so busy they are pushed to find time to tell you about it. From Oxford to Winchester to Southampton, the story is the same: workloads are heavy, tender prices are up, and skilled, experienced staff are thin on the ground.

Reflecting the current housebuying frenzy in the South-east, the housing sector is hot. Major schemes include the 拢100m, 93 000 m2, Gunwharf Quay scheme at Portsmouth Harbour, including 300 flats and houses, for developer Berkeley Homes/Lordland, and 500 residential units for Berkeley Homes at Knowle near Winchester.

Many residential schemes are attached to town-centre retail projects. Hampshire is buzzing with anticipation at Basingstoke鈥檚 town centre transformation into Festival Place, a 拢300m, 85 000 m2 mixed-use scheme by Grosvenor Estates set to rival Kent鈥檚 Bluewater shopping mall. In Oxfordshire, a 拢30m, 12 ha redevelopment of Didcot town centre by Taywood Property in partnership with South Oxfordshire District Council is set to start on site before 2001.

The South East Economic Development Agency has plans for top architectural practices to upgrade two of the South-east鈥檚 less attractive town centres Gravesend and Barking. It is also carrying out a 拢125m redevelopment of Chatham Dockyard, which will become a 600-berth marina and a 21 365 m2 mixed-use scheme.

Mega schemes are monopolising the market for bricklayers, plasterers and steelworkers in their regions, causing hikes in wages and materials prices and pushing up overall costs. Tender prices are edging up, although the market is still tight and competitive.

South-east and South Coast

It鈥檚 been an excellent start to the year. We鈥檙e landing new jobs every day Peter Warlow director of architect Hedley Greentree Partnership, Fareham It鈥檚 not quite a boom, but it鈥檚 very busy Peter Norman senior partner, Oxford Architects Partnership People pay lip-service to partnering. Politically they think it鈥檚 the correct thing to do, but they are still looking at lowest price. Most contracts are two-stage tenders and they call that a negotiated job Nigel Fielding marketing manager, Brazier Construction Key projects 拢300m Festival Place Basingstoke town centre 拢100m Gunwharf Quay Portsmouth 拢300m Grosvenor Estates development, being built by Laing Price of a pint 拢2.20 Price of a three-bed semi From 拢70 000 in Portsmouth to 拢250 000 in Southampton鈥檚 seafront Ocean Village development or in the New Forest

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