"George Smeed began making bricks at Murston, Sittingbourne, in 1846. His firm mixed local brickearth and chalk with ash brought out of London, and by 1860 he owned brickfields, a fleet of barges and a shipyard on the creek. Smeed Dean bricks are still made in Sittingbourne, and the name survives on the Smeed Dean Centre on Castle Road, where units start at 487 sq ft. For businesses taking space across Kent, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Thames Valley, the checklist now runs from road access to power.
Power has joined the particulars
At Panattoni Park in Sittingbourne, the developer advertises the electricity supply alongside the floor area: 6.5 MVA across the park, and 2.07 MVA from the grid plus 0.45 MVA of solar for its 205,788 sq ft unit. ID Logistics took 440,000 sq ft there in December 2025. The same question applies to a 500 sq ft workshop: how much supply does it have, and what would more cost?
On 1 September Andy Burnham told the Commons that businesses were waiting ""far too long"" for grid connections and being quoted ""prohibitively expensive sums"". On 29 September he announced Great British Grid, a publicly owned company within Great British Energy to speed up connections for businesses. It has no timetable and won't change a quotation you receive this year. In Oxfordshire, the network operator SSEN is separately spending £200 million on the local network between 2025 and 2030.
A region still waiting for its mayors
Burnham also offered devolution deals to every part of England without devolved power, and much of the South East qualifies. Mayoral elections for Hampshire and the Solent and for Sussex and Brighton were moved from May 2026 to May 2028; on 25 September the Hampshire and Solent authority asked for May 2027 instead. Kent and Medway were left out of the priority programme and are being reorganised into four unitary councils, which take over in April 2028. In June, Oxfordshire County Council vetoed a Thames Valley mayoral authority.
The local industrial strategies Burnham wants revived need a body to write them. In most of the South East, that body does not yet exist.
A market with room to negotiate
Knight Frank put South East vacancy at 10.5% in the second quarter of 2026 for units over 50,000 sq ft, against 8.6% in London, and forecasts 3.3% rent growth this year. At the Smeed Dean Centre, unit C2 (1,657 sq ft) is advertised at £12.09 per sq ft, with a quarter off the first year's rent while it is refurbished.
Two projects will change the map. Solent Freeport, around Portsmouth and Southampton, reported £640 million delivered on its tax sites in August 2026. The Lower Thames Crossing began early works in March 2026 and is due to open in the early to mid 2030s.
Who the South East suits
If you need space near London, the Channel ports or the Solent and your power needs are ordinary, vacancy is on your side. If you need a new high-capacity connection, get the supply confirmed in writing before you commit, and don't count on Great British Grid to shorten the wait. The listings below cover Kent, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Milton Keynes and the Thames Valley.
FAQ
Does the South East have a mayor?
Not yet. Mayoral elections for Hampshire and the Solent and for Sussex and Brighton are scheduled for May 2028, and Kent, Medway and Oxfordshire have no devolution deal.
How much does a small warehouse unit cost in Sittingbourne?
Unit C2 at the Smeed Dean Centre on Castle Road, 1,657 sq ft, is advertised at £12.09 per sq ft a year. Units there start at 487 sq ft.
What is the vacancy rate for warehouses in the South East?
Knight Frank put it at 10.5% in the second quarter of 2026 for units over 50,000 sq ft, compared with 8.6% in London.
When will the Lower Thames Crossing open?
National Highways expects it to open in the early to mid 2030s. Early works began in March 2026.
What did Andy Burnham announce about the grid?
On 29 September 2026 he announced Great British Grid, a publicly owned company within Great British Energy intended to speed up grid connections for businesses. No timetable has been given."
