Southampton and Portsmouth

Anyone who has been to the West Quay shopping centre in Southampton must have noticed the large blue building lurking in between the West Quay car parks and the back of John Lewis.   This huge big blue building is the site for the new Ikea superstore in Southampton.

The new store is set to create at least 500 new jobs in Southampton, is 4 storeys high, will have a 600 capacity restaurant and over 800 additional car parking spaces.  The cost to build and open the new store has cost Ikea around £75 million but they believe it to be a good investment.

Many local people are happy for the south of England to finally have their own Ikea as the only other 2 are in Bristol and London, both of which are a bit out of the way.   The store is likely to bring in shoppers from Dorset, Wiltshire and other Home Counties near to Southampton.

The new Ikea Southampton store opens on February 12th.

A new species of insect has been found in Southampton.  Prokelisia marginata a saltmarsh leafhopper comes in two forms; long winged and short winged.  The insect has been spotted in large numbers around Southampton salt marshes and has now spread further in land. 

They originally come from North America but live in spartina grass which is often used for packaging.  This is how they are thought to have spread into Europe and now Southampton and Poole.  Residents have been reassured that these small insects are not a threat.

Although they can spread plant diseases as they hop from plant to plant the threat is not very high although we may see an increase in spiders as they are particularly fond of eating them.

There are a few things that you just can’t do without at Christmas time no matter how strapped for cash you are.  You need the food, drink, Christmas cards, Christmas lights and a tree.  That is unless you are Southampton City Council who have opted to not have a Christmas tree or Christmas lights this year.  The reason behind Southampton Council’s scrooge like antics is that the lights are apparently in need of repair which would cost around £35,000 something that Southampton Council believe is unjustifiable at this moment.  

Southampton shoppers and residents are apparently outraged that there is no Christmas tree or lights as part of the German Christmas Market in the Southampton high street.