South East

摘要

James Galpin, Tunbridge Wells: The South East has seen a healthy upturn in workload over the last two years. Due to our proximity to London, the effect of the Olympic Games and the creation of the various major new commercial developments in the capital have sent a ripple of workload - both workplace and retail - out towards the surrounding counties. Demand for housing in the region is also higher than ever and the consequent upturn in house-building has given rise to Section 106 payments allocated to local authorities to provide additional school places. This is a welcome change for architects in the learning sector, who have suffered in recent years through the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme. The current focus within education is on the provision of primary places, and the long view is of course the next round of development which will need to cater for the same population growth at secondary level in a few years' time.