Region Focus: South East
Overview
The South East region accounts for 14.2% of total UK GDP and key sectors of economic activity in the region are distribution and transport, information and communications, real estate activities, business services and public administration. Construction GVA rose 11.8% in 2023 and the value of contracts awarded in the region totalled £9.9 billion in 2024, an increase of 29.2% from the previous year. In terms of overall contract awards, Brighton and Hove, Central Hampshire, East Kent, East Sussex CC, Kent Thames Gateway, and West Kent were hotspots.
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Location | GDP per head (£) | GDP growth 2018-2023 | Unemployment rate (%) | Construction GVA (2023, £ millions) | Construction Growth (2023) | Contracts Awards Growth (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | UK Average | 39,845 | 4.1% | 3.7 | 154,140 | 11.5% | 13.1% |
| 2 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | South East | 41,319 | 3.3% | 3.5 | 23,963 | 11.8% | 29.2% |
| 3 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Berkshire | 60,564 | 10.3% | 3.7 | 2,602 | 18.0% | 17.4% |
| 4 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Milton Keynes | 59,940 | -2.2% | 2.4 | 682 | 7.6% | 25.7% |
| 5 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Buckinghamshire CC | 37,698 | 2.5% | 4.7 | 1,770 | 7.9% | -76.5% |
| 6 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Oxfordshire | 42,756 | 6.7% | 2.8 | 1,426 | 16.7% | -26.2% |
| 7 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Brighton and Hove | 47,461 | 11.1% | 4.1 | 354 | 11.7% | 506.3% |
| 8 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | East Sussex CC | 24,593 | 1.8% | 6 | 981 | 18.5% | 39.4% |
| 9 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | West Surrey | 50,390 | -1.0% | 2.9 | 2,786 | 5.3% | 0.5% |
| 10 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | East Surrey | 46,120 | 1.4% | 2.1 | 1,560 | 28.0% | 57.5% |
| 11 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | West Sussex (South West) | 32,204 | 3.1% | 4.7 | 713 | 16.3% | 55.2% |
| 12 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | West Sussex (North East) | 38,591 | 7.7% | 1.9 | 1,198 | 23.1% | -29.1% |
| 13 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Portsmouth | 41,317 | 6.9% | 6.1 | 336 | 12.8% | -17.4% |
| 14 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Southampton | 42,580 | -12.7% | 4.4 | 287 | 14.3% | 46.7% |
| 15 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Isle of Wight | 26,787 | 2.5% | 3.9 | 155 | 9.2% | -100.0% |
| 16 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | South Hampshire | 32,341 | -1.0% | 2 | 1,079 | 0.7% | 11.7% |
| 17 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Central Hampshire | 37,975 | -0.4% | 1.3 | 1,338 | 4.4% | 47.4% |
| 18 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | North Hampshire | 53,275 | 5.5% | 2.5 | 1,043 | -0.9% | -16.7% |
| 19 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Medway | 30,128 | 7.5% | 2 | 724 | 16.6% | 54.9% |
| 20 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Kent Thames Gateway | 30,249 | -0.6% | 5.3 | 1,540 | 20.3% | 408.0% |
| 21 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | East Kent | 27,680 | 1.5% | 4.8 | 792 | 4.5% | 53.9% |
| 22 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | Mid Kent | 33,046 | 5.0% | 3.3 | 952 | 7.9% | 17.1% |
| 23 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:00 AM | West Kent | 43,259 | -0.9% | 3.4 | 1,648 | 10.1% | 109.7% |
Residential
Commercial
Infrastructure
£3.1 billion worth of residential contracts were awarded in the South East region in 2024, 24.6% higher than the value awarded in 2023. There were six hotspots, including East Kent, which hosts the £418 million student accommodation project at Giles Lane, Canterbury.
Commercial contract awards in the South East totalled £590 million in 2024, 3.9% lower than in 2023. There were two hotspots for commercial activity in 2024 – East Sussex CC and Mid Kent – and one coldspot: Brighton and Hove. Three projects in the top ten will see activity continuing through to 2027.
Contract awards for infrastructure projects in the South East totalled £3.1 billion in 2024, almost double the value awarded in 2023. Kent Thames Gateway and West Sussex (South West) were the two hotspots. Buckinghamshire CC was a coldspot. Four of the largest contract awards were valued at £150 million or above.
Top 10 Residential Contracts
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Project | Units | Value | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | Giles Lane - Student Accomm | - | £418 million | 01/09/2024 | 01/03/2027 |
| 2 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | West Slope Student Accomm | - | £200 million | 01/07/2024 | 01/01/2029 |
| 3 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | Bargate Quarter Development | - | £132 million | 01/07/2024 | 01/12/2025 |
| 4 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | Lakes Estate, Drayton Road | 308 units | £85 million | 01/01/2024 | 01/09/2026 |
| 5 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | Mount Pleasant Road Retirement Apts | 166 units | £72 million | 01/04/2024 | 01/10/2025 |
| 6 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | One Horton Heath - Phase - 1 | 393 units | £70 million | 01/12/2024 | 01/02/2030 |
| 7 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | Sackville Road Urban Village | 260 units | £60 million | 01/09/2024 | 01/07/2030 |
| 8 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | West Malling Retirement Village | 132 units | £60 million | 01/09/2024 | 01/09/2026 |
| 9 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | 3 -12 High Street, Woking | - | £50 million | 01/01/2025 | 01/03/2026 |
| 10 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:02 AM | Winterfield Lane, East Malling | 250 units | £50 million | 01/07/2023 | 01/02/2027 |
Top 10 Commercial Contracts
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Project | Development | Value | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Whitehill & Bordon Town Centre | Retail | £80 million | 01/09/2024 | 01/12/2027 |
| 2 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Trinity House Project - Life Sciences | Offices | £60 million | 01/10/2023 | 01/10/2025 |
| 3 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Aerox London Oxford Airport | Offices | £35 million | 01/11/2024 | 01/06/2027 |
| 4 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Slough Trading Estate - LD14 | Data centre | £30 million | 01/08/2024 | 01/08/2025 |
| 5 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Buildings 2 & 3 And 4 Park Square | Offices | £30 million | 01/09/2024 | 01/09/2025 |
| 6 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Rutherford Road, Oxfordshire | Retail | £23 million | 01/03/2024 | 01/11/2024 |
| 7 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Swallow Business Park Phase 5 | Offices | £23 million | 01/09/2024 | |
| 8 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Speedwell House, Oxford | Offices | £20 million | 01/06/2025 | 01/06/2027 |
| 9 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Plot C, Pitstone Business Park | Offices | £19 million | 01/10/2024 | 01/07/2026 |
| 10 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:04 AM | Signal Yard - Refurbishment | Offices | £14 million | 01/01/2025 | 01/06/2025 |
Top 10 Infrastructure Contracts
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Project | Value | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Lower Thames Tunnel Crossing - Tunnelling Works | £1.3 billion | 01/01/2026 | 01/01/2032 |
| 2 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Worthing Heat Network Project | £250 million | 01/08/2024 | 01/01/2026 |
| 3 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Slough Multi-Fuel CHP Plant 50MW | £200 million | 01/05/2021 | 01/11/2024 |
| 4 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Marchwood Port Development | £150 million | 01/03/2024 | 01/01/2025 |
| 5 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | A423 Kennington Improvements Scheme | £90 million | 01/12/2024 | 01/12/2027 |
| 6 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Bunkers Hill Farm - Solar Farm & Battery Storage | £50 million | 01/05/2023 | 01/05/2024 |
| 7 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Netley Mill Water Treatment Works -Mains Pipeline | £46 million | 01/02/2024 | 01/12/2025 |
| 8 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Dover Harbour Board | £45 million | 01/10/2024 | 01/04/2026 |
| 9 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | A28 Sturry Link Road | £34 million | 01/01/2025 | 01/10/2026 |
| 10 | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | ellierourke | 12/09/2025 10:06 AM | Testwood Water Supply Upgrade Works | £33 million | 01/07/2024 | 01/12/2025 |
