Hampshire is situated at the centre of the south coast of England. It has a population of 1.705m residents (Southampton and Portsmouth included), over 500,000 households and covers an area of 3,777km2. It is a diverse county with a mix of significant urban and extensive rural areas. Although less than 10% of the county is urban, 87% of the population live in urban areas with major settlements at Aldershot, Andover, Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant and Winchester. 85% of the county is classified as rural with significant areas which are the subject of national and international environmental designations. The county has 266km of coastline, 90% of which has international conservation designation as well as 600 miles of river. Hampshire is home to 112 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), five official Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and the New Forest National Park.
Hampshire has three motorways (M3, A3M and M27) and a road network of some 8,600km. There are 370km of railway line, 48 railway stations, two thriving airports and designated Trans-European links (road and rail). The county occupies a strategically important location on the south coast by providing one of the main gateways to mainland Europe via the freight and passenger port of Portsmouth and the UK's second largest container port and primary cruise terminal in Southampton. Although not within the administrative area of the County Council, the relationship between these two port cities and the rest of the county has a significant effect on transport connections, employment and travel to work issues, housing and economic activity.
Key sectors
The critical issue for spatial planning in Hampshire is the constant and continuous challenge to find ways of meeting present and future economic, social and environmental needs in a sustainable way. Hampshire's quality of life and environment are its economic development "crown jewels".
Hampshire is under pressure from UK Government through the South East Plan to provide 6,100 new homes per year for the next 20 years. This figure is considered by the County Council to be a great threat to the character and identity of the county's cities, towns, villages and countryside. It also imposes a challenge on the continued high quality of life of the county's residents who require jobs, a choice of shopping and leisure opportunities and a reliable transport infrastructure - and all this in an attractive environment.
Advantages and distinctive features
Tourism
Tourism South East is the official name for the Tourism Organisation in the South. Its aim is to boost and run the expansion of tourism in the area. The county of Hampshire is particularly rich in military history and heritage, with more than 30 sites reflecting the theme of defence heritage through ships, castles, stately homes and fortifications. Along with its varied coastline and unspoilt countryside, Hampshire offers the visitors chocolate box villages, bustling market towns, vibrant cities and ancient forests. Over 6.5% of the Gross Value Added to the economy can be attributed to visitors to the region. In 2004, over 4.5 million people visited Hampshire and stayed overnight, and more than 35 million people came to Hampshire on a day trip.
Environment
Hampshire has a landscape of limestone hills crossing the county from East to West. Hampshire is very famous for its gardens, beautiful coastline and rural areas, and the New Forest National Park is a major tourist attraction.
The County has mineral resources of petroleum and gravel.
Transport and communications
Hampshire has an excellent communications network:
Harbours
Southampton & Portsmouth offer sea links with Caen, Le Havre, St Malo, Cherbourg, Santander and Bilbao as well as both being significant freight ports.
Roads
M3: London to Southampton A3M: London to Portsmouth M27: Portsmouth to Southampton A36: Southampton to Bristol A31: Southampton to Dorchester A34: Winchester to Oxford
Railways
The mainline railway in Hampshire is run by South West Trains and offers a regular service from London to Bournemouth via Southampton and London to Portsmouth via Woking. There is also a south coast service linking Southampton and Portsmouth.
Airports
There are two airports in Hampshire in Southampton / Eastleigh and Farnborough. Both airports are expanding and opening up new routes across Europe.
Economy
Hampshire is traditionally a prosperous county with significant employment in the service sector and strong economic growth around Andover, Aldershot, Farnborough and Basingstoke.
In terms of employment sectors, 82.9% of jobs in Hampshire are in the service sector, 10.8% in manufacturing and 5.3% in construction. Principal sectors are tourism, retail and leisure; marine; advanced manufacturing; high technology industries, business services, finance and building and construction.
Further education and research
There are four universities in Hampshire; in Portsmouth, Winchester and two in Southampton. Portsmouth and Southampton in particular have international reputations in research.
Partnerships
Hampshire's partnership agreement with Lower Normandy Region was signed in October 1989. The aims of the agreement are to share best practice and develop projects in the fields of transport, tourism, technology & research, training and education.
Key figures
Surface area : 3,777 km2 (Incl. Southampton & Portsmouth)
Coastline : 266 km (Incl. Southampton & Portsmouth)
Population : 1,705,700 (2007, Incl. Southampton & Portsmouth)
Density : 451.6 ha / km2
Active population : 867,000 (2007), 78.7% of the active population
GDP/capita : 22,4 millions (2005); GDP per head: £ 17,800 (Purchase Power Standard 1999)
Unemployment rate : 2.9 % (May 2009)
Employment sector (1999)(1):
- service sector : 82.9 %
- manufacturing : 10.8 %
- construction : 5.3 %
