A MAJOR chunk of a £14m flagship business park development in Hampshire has just been pre-sold - just weeks after the diggers went in.

Private investors have secured the freehold to one-third of the office space at Victory Park, while negotiations in a similar vein are under way on another third.

Five buildings, containing 14 fully serviced offices, are due to be ready for staggered occupation by firms in March and April at the 3.4-acre site opposite the Solent Hotel at Whiteley, near Fareham.

Simon Houlston, the chairman of Leeds-based developer Business Homes, said: "We've had private investors beating a path to our door, with the first phase pre-sold to them.

"Other investors are in talks with us over another third, and we anticipate strong demand from businesses keen to move in as tenants and take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities, which include tailor-made telecoms systems and 24-hour CCTV security."

Details of the freehold owners, and the amount they paid, are not being disclosed due to confidentiality agreements. The scheme is one of 30 in the UK by Business Homes, which specialises in offering office space with the flexibility of leasehold or freehold investment opportunities.

The company has North Wales based David McLean as the prime building contractor, with Portsmouth civil engineering firm A K Warren carrying out the ground works. Scaffolders are also now on site as the five steel-framed buildings, to contain offices sized between 1,300 sq ft and 6,000 sq ft, rapidly take shape.

Work began in late summer, with the first phase on track for occupation by firms next March.

The new development is being marketed by Fareham based Hughes Ellard and Southampton's King Sturge.

Business Homes has also indicated that it is in discussions for another four similar schemes in the south of England, which will provide another jobs boost for the construction industry.

As well as top-quality offices, Victory Park, which is based at Solent Business Park, will have nearly 210 car parking spaces.

The lack of good quality office space in south Hampshire is creating out-of-town demand hot spots like Victory Park.

Russell Mogridge of Hughes Ellard and Simon Keefe of King Sturge said in a joint statement: "Demand for Solent Business Park, including Victory Park, is at an all-time high from the office sector because of the general lack of grade A space available in and around Southampton.

"We anticipate strong interest in the remaining units at Business Homes - and the development couldn't have come at a better time.

"The motorway links, with the M27 just a minute's drive away, are also a huge bonus to firms and their staff."

Solent Business Park is home to some of the most high-profile business names in the south, including ITV's Meridian, National Air Traffic Services and insurance giant Zurich.

Private investors, often linked to pension funds, have been swooping on commercial property investments across the south because of potentially attractive returns in a buoyant economy.