It may not be spectacular but the three counties are making steady progress and in some cases adding new commercial space but the central problem of so much disappearing into residential use continues and the figures for Brighton & Hove are, in many ways, startling.
No town or city in the UK can have a worthwhile economic future if it has no cheap rental space for new companies. That is a fact of life.
That is not the problem in Croydon where new space is being built and the borough is grabbing the opportunity to upgrade the quality of the town through better design. That idea is catching on and it really would help throughout the UK where so much poor development has been allowed.
At the moment the need in the south east appears to be more industrial space and this is happening in some places, such as in Newhaven and Crawley.
The shining example of what can be achieved is Ashford which is tackling its expansion in a broad approach that is bringing more housing, commercial and leisure space. The borough council is giving all the backing needed.
It is hard to see why more towns should not adopt this more dynamic approach because new facilities mean higher rental income and a better life for the local population.