Featured Region: South East

Underlying value of construction projects starting on site. (Excludes individual projects of more than £100 million and framework agreements).

The South East consists of the following Counties: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle Of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex.

2011 brought a reversal of fortune in the South East, after three years of declining project starts.  Over the last year, the underlying value of starts increased by 18% - one of the quickest rates of increase seen in the UK.

During 2010, an exception to an otherwise difficult year was a nearly 50% increase in the underlying value of retail projects. However, the rise comes off of a low base; in total, underlying starts were over a third less than they were in 2007. Retail continued to surge over 2011, ending the year 90% up on an already inflated 2010.

While underlying civil engineering project starts grew just 8% in 2010, several large projects brought the sector increased optimism. The most notable of these a £210m project to refurbish the A421 in Buckinghamshire which started in October 2010, and will support construction throughout this year. Over 2011, this performance has improved markedly. There has also been an increase in the value of civil engineering planning approvals over this period, and we expect it to remain a growth sector this year.