FINDING staff - and getting them around on our clogged roads - are two burning issues affecting the growth of the south's lucrative office market.

The warnings, including the prediction of London-like congestion charging in Southampton and Portsmouth, have been sounded by south coast property consultants King Sturge.

More than 150 people at Chilworth Manor Hotel heard from the company how full employment is creating problems in recruitment, especially in retention of skilled staff.

Michael Green, partner in charge of King Sturge in Southampton, touched upon the thorny subjects during the launch of the 11th King Sturge South Coast Metropole Report.

He also said the problem is not so much getting people to and from the region, but how to get them around our towns and cities once they have arrived.

He said: "The development of a fully integrated transport system for Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport is still a long way off, and in the meantime each of the local authorities are pursuing policies to restrict and control the use of the motor car in our city centres.

"Southampton in particular is beginning to show signs of a city unable to cope with an increasing influx of motor cars.

"The policies currently being pursued by the city council revolve around restricting the number of car parking spaces available for the people who live and work in the city, and systematically decreasing the speed at which traffic can move.

"Eventually this policy will break down and we expect Southampton and Portsmouth to be high on the list of cities in the UK where a congestion charge or similar policy will be introduced in the next five to ten years."

According to figures published in the Daily Echo on Saturday, the average spare capacity for car parking in Southampton is 17 per cent - down from 40 per cent in 2001.

King Sturge predicts a stable residential property market over the next year, with the warning that the quality of new build could slip as developers try to provide affordable homes for first-time buyers, while land prices remain high.

Also speaking at the event, King Sturge's head of research, Dr Angus McIntosh, warned that the government was running out of money and that major cuts in public sector jobs were inevitable.

For more on the report, visit www.kingsturge.com