Central South

The Central South is the UK’s global gateway, connected by road, rail, air, and sea.

It has two international airports at Southampton and Bournemouth and Europe’s leading business airport located at Farnborough.

The region also has easy access to London’s airports with connections to all international terminals at Heathrow from just 30 minutes away and one hour to Gatwick.

Direct flights to a host of European destinations are available at Bournemouth and Southampton Airports. The latter has secured planning permission to expand its runway while Bournemouth Airport also has a fast-expanding cargo hub.

Two major motorways connect the Central South by road, the M3 to London and the M27 connecting Portsmouth and Southampton.

Rail connections include regular express services to London and other major cities.

Additionally, the Central South includes major seaports, such as Southampton which is the largest cruise port in Northern Europe. Meanwhile, Portsmouth is the home of HM Royal Navy, and the Port of Poole lies within Europe’s largest natural harbour. More details are available in our section, A Coastal Place.