Acting for Eastleigh Borough Council we provided Project Management services to refurbish this old solicitors office into two new premises.
Eastleigh Borough Council owned a two storey former solicitors’ office that had fallen vacant. As part of their wider strategy for the local area, the council wanted to bring it back into use as two separate commercial premises: a florist on the ground floor and a hair dressers on the first floor.
To work as two independent units, the building needed more than a cosmetic refresh. Each tenant needed its own water, gas and electricity supply, metered separately, alongside a full internal refurbishment suited to two very different businesses.
Eastleigh Borough Council
£240,000 + VAT
Drafting the specification, procurement & tendering and contract administration.
12 weeks (July to September 2026)
Eastleigh Borough Council needed to relocate two existing tenants, a florist and a hair salon, from a building it planned to demolish to make way for a larger, modern commercial development as part of its wider regeneration strategy for the area.
The council owned a vacant two-storey former solicitors’ office at 3 St Johns Road, Hedge End, and asked Bressummer Ark to manage its conversion into two self-contained commercial units: the florist on the ground floor and the hair salon on the first floor.
The fixed programme was critical. The relocation had to be completed on time to keep the council’s wider redevelopment on track.
We managed the project from inception to completion:
The main challenges we faced
Splitting the utilities
Turning one building into two independent units meant dividing water, gas and electricity supplies that had always served a single occupier. That depended on multiple utility companies and Distribution Network Operators, each with their own processes and lead times. We engaged with them early and kept chasing throughout, so the new connections and meters didn’t hold up completion.
Managing occupier change requests
Because the units were being fitted out for known tenants, both occupiers raised change requests as the works progressed. We assessed each one for its cost and programme impact, agreed the necessary changes with the council and the contractor, and kept the project within budget and on its 12-week programme.
Salon services on the first floor
A hair salon needs significantly more water and drainage than an office. We specified new water supplies and waste drainage to the hair stations, plus a new WC, all within a first floor that was never designed for them.
The project was completed in September 2026, on time and within budget. Both businesses now have modern, self-contained premises in Hedge End, and the council has cleared the way for the demolition and redevelopment of their former building.
It depends on the size of the building, the scope of works and how much input is needed from utility companies. This 2,000 sq ft conversion in Hedge End was delivered on a 12-week programme. Utility connections and new meters are often the longest lead items, so we engage with suppliers as early as possible.
A project manager acts for the client from the initial brief to completion. On this project that meant developing the brief, preparing the specification, running a competitive tender, recommending a contractor in a tender report, and administering the building contract through to practical completion, while controlling cost, programme and change requests.
For smaller, straightforward works where the client provides the design and specification, the JCT Minor Works Building Contract is often a good fit. We used JCT Minor Works on this project. For larger or more complex schemes, a different JCT form may be more appropriate, and we advise on this at the outset.
Yes. On this project we separated the water, gas and electricity supplies so each unit has its own meters and can be let independently. This involves liaison with the relevant utility companies and the Distribution Network Operator, which we manage on the client’s behalf.
Bressummer Ark provides project management and contract administration for commercial refurbishments, fit-outs and conversions across Southampton, Eastleigh, Hedge End, Winchester and the wider South of England, including Hampshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and West Sussex.
Bressummer Ark provides project management and contract administration for commercial refurbishments, fit-outs and conversions across Southampton, Eastleigh and the wider South of England. As RICS-regulated chartered surveyors, we act for local authorities, landlords and occupiers, taking projects from the initial brief through specification, tender and delivery.
It’s important, in order for us to understand your requirements from the outset in order to give the best commercial building consultancy advice we can.
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