Bridging for Developers
Property Development
As a developer, your biggest risk is losing the site. Bridging finance lets you secure it fast — holding the asset while planning progresses, development finance is arranged, or enabling works begin. For full development finance, we work seamlessly with our sister company to ensure continuity.
£250k – £50m+
Loan Size
1 – 18 months
Typical Term
Up to 75% LTV
Typical LTV
Key Features
What We Offer
Site acquisition funding
Secure the site quickly with bridging finance while you arrange longer-term development funding through our sister company.
Holding finance while planning progresses
Fund the gap between acquiring a site and starting construction. Hold the asset without tying up your own capital.
Bridge to development finance
We work closely with our sister development finance company to ensure a seamless transition when you're ready to build.
Light enabling works included
Some bridging facilities can include an element of works — demolition, site clearance, or early-stage preparation.
Multiple site strategies
Funding across several sites simultaneously. We structure facilities that work with your development pipeline.
Fast decisions for competitive situations
When another developer is circling the same site, speed of funding is your competitive advantage.
Ideal For
Common Scenarios
Site Acquisition Before Development
You've found the perfect site but development finance isn't in place yet. Bridging secures the asset while the full facility is arranged.
Holding Land Between Phases
You've completed one phase and need to hold the remaining land while the next phase is planned and funded.
Bridge to Development Facility
A short-term bridge while development finance is being arranged. We coordinate with our sister company for a seamless handover.
Light Enabling Works
Site clearance, demolition, or early preparation works before the main development facility kicks in.
Typical Costs
What You'll Pay
Every deal is different, but here's what to budget for on a typical property development bridging facility. Use our calculator to estimate total costs for your specific deal.
Interest Rate
0.55–0.95% per month, rolled up — no monthly payments.
Arrangement Fee
1.5–2% of the gross loan. Can be added to the facility or paid on completion.
Valuation Fee
£1,000–£5,000+ depending on site complexity. Paid directly to the surveyor.
Legal Fees
Your solicitor + lender's solicitor. Budget £3,000–£8,000+ for both sides.
Exit Fee
Typically rolled into the development finance transition costs.
Broker Fee
Our fee is typically 1% of the net loan, payable on completion. No upfront fees.
Typical Costs
What You'll Pay
Every deal is different, but here's what to budget for on a typical property development bridging facility. Use our calculator to estimate total costs for your specific deal.
Interest Rate
0.55–0.95% per month, rolled up — no monthly payments.
Arrangement Fee
1.5–2% of the gross loan. Can be added to the facility or paid on completion.
Valuation Fee
£1,000–£5,000+ depending on site complexity. Paid directly to the surveyor.
Legal Fees
Your solicitor + lender's solicitor. Budget £3,000–£8,000+ for both sides.
Exit Fee
Typically rolled into the development finance transition costs.
Broker Fee
Our fee is typically 1% of the net loan, payable on completion. No upfront fees.
How It Works
Securing Your Development Site
Tell Us About the Site
Share the site details, purchase price, your development vision, and current planning status. We'll assess the best route — whether that's a standalone bridge, a bridge to development facility, or a combined approach.
Secure the Site Fast
We arrange bridging finance to acquire the site — typically completing in 10–14 days. This gives you control of the asset while planning, development finance, and pre-construction activity progresses.
Transition to Development Finance
When you're ready to build, we coordinate with our sister company to arrange full development finance. The bridging facility is repaid from the new development loan, creating a seamless transition from acquisition to construction.
Who Is This For
Typical Development Borrowers
Established Developers
Experienced developers who need to secure sites quickly before arranging full development finance. Speed of acquisition is the competitive edge.
Land Bankers
Investors acquiring strategic land positions to hold while planning permission is sought or the market improves.
First-Time Developers
Breaking into development and need a straightforward bridge to secure the first site while the full development facility is arranged.
Joint Venture Partners
Providing the site acquisition element of a JV structure where one party brings the land and the other brings the development expertise.
Common Questions
Property Development FAQ
Is this development finance?
Can I buy a site without planning permission?
What's the difference between bridging and development finance?
How is the site valued for lending purposes?
Can I include demolition or site clearance costs?
Do I need planning permission before I can get bridging for a development site?
What's the typical timeline for a site acquisition bridge?
Can I use bridging to acquire multiple development sites?
How is the site valued for lending purposes?
Can I include demolition or site clearance costs?
Do I need planning permission before I can get bridging for a development site?
What's the typical timeline for a site acquisition bridge?
Can I use bridging to acquire multiple development sites?
Site Types We Finance
Bridging by Site Type and Stage
Lender appetite for development sites varies substantially by site type and planning stage. A consented brownfield site in a strong residential market lends very differently from a strategic greenfield holding without consent. Knowing which lenders are active for each profile — and at what LTV — is the foundation of a properly priced facility.
Brownfield with Full Planning
Consented residential, mixed-use or commercial development sites on previously developed land. The strongest profile from a lender perspective — planning risk eliminated, GDV transparent, comparable values established. Highest LTVs and most competitive pricing.
Sites with Outline Consent
Outline planning permission means the principle is established but reserved matters remain. Bridging is widely available but at slightly lower LTV than fully consented sites. Many investors use bridging to acquire and progress reserved matters before transitioning to development finance.
Pre-Application / Land Banking
Strategic land acquisition before planning is sought — either greenfield within local plan allocation, or land with positive pre-application discussions. Specialist lenders only, lower LTVs, but a hugely profitable strategy when planning gain materialises.
Permitted Development Conversions
Office-to-resi, light-industrial-to-resi, retail-to-resi under various PD rights. Lender appetite is strong because timing is shorter than full planning routes. We have lenders comfortable with prior approval and conversion programmes.
Infill & Single-Plot
Single-house, two-house and small backland infill schemes. Often awkward for development finance lenders (too small) but ideal for bridging plus self-funded build, or bridging into private/family build finance. We structure these creatively.
Regeneration & Mixed-Use Schemes
Larger sites involving multiple use classes, public realm contribution, or section 106 obligations. Bridging can fund site assembly, holding through pre-construction, or refinance an existing development facility into a longer-dated bridge while final phases are pre-sold.
What Lenders Need
Development Bridging Documentation Checklist
Development site bridging requires a different documentation set than standard residential bridging. Getting this together at the front of the deal is the single biggest determinant of completion timeline. Sites with documentation already organised complete in 10–14 days; sites without typically push out to 4–6 weeks.
Site Plan & Title Pack
Detailed site plan, title plan from Land Registry, and any relevant conveyancing reports. For multi-title acquisitions or sites with adopted highways, the title position alone can take weeks to clarify if not done up front.
Planning History & Decision Notices
Full planning history including any current consent, conditions, reserved matters status, S106 obligations, and any outstanding pre-commencement conditions. Both the lender's solicitor and valuer scrutinise this thoroughly.
Development Appraisal
Numerical appraisal showing GDV, build cost, fees, finance costs, contingency, and developer profit. Lenders run their own residual valuation but a credible appraisal accelerates underwriting and signals you understand the numbers.
CIL & S106 Position
Community Infrastructure Levy calculations, any S106 financial contributions, and current status (deferred, paid, indexed). Unaccounted CIL or S106 obligations have killed many development deals. Get this clarity early.
Exit Strategy Evidence
If exit is development finance, an indicative DIP or term sheet from a development lender (we can help arrange via our sister business). If exit is sale to a developer, expressions of interest. Bridging into an unfunded development pipeline is the highest-risk profile lenders see.
Borrower Track Record
CV / portfolio of previous developments, with completion evidence (final accounts, valuation reports). First-time developers can still get funded but pay a small premium and face slightly tighter LTV. Established track record materially improves both rate and leverage.
Avoid These Mistakes
Common Pitfalls in Development Bridging
Development bridging fails for distinctive reasons that don't apply to standard residential or commercial bridging. The interaction with planning, build cost, and onward finance creates specific failure modes worth understanding up front.
Underestimated planning timeline
"We'll have reserved matters approved in 3 months" rarely survives contact with a real planning department. Bridging terms typically allow 12–18 months; sites where the planning programme realistically takes longer need either staged finance or a longer bridge with the right lender.
Optimistic GDV assumptions
Lender valuers run conservative GDV models. Numbers built on the most aggressive comparable transaction at the most optimistic specification are routinely written down. Calibrating GDV to mid-range comparable evidence avoids painful renegotiation at term-sheet stage.
Light enabling works overreach
"Light enabling works" within a bridge facility means demolition, site clearance, and groundworks — not commencing the substantive build. Trying to push significant build into a bridging product is a frequent cause of refused drawdowns and forced refinance under pressure.
Exit lender mismatch on stack
Bridging is the easy part. The development facility that follows must be deliverable on the asset, the borrower's track record, and current development-finance criteria. Exit lender pre-engagement before drawing the bridge is the single highest-leverage mitigation.
Contractor / cost-plan mismatch
Build-cost numbers prepared by the developer rarely survive contact with a monitoring surveyor's QS appraisal. Cost plans signed off by a properly engaged QS or contractor — rather than back-of-envelope estimates — carry more weight with the development lender at exit.
Related Use Case
Refurbishment vs Development — When Does a Bridging Loan Fit Each?
The line between a refurbishment bridging loan and a development bridging loan isn't always obvious — and choosing the right product matters because the LTV, drawdown structure, term length, and lender pool differ materially.
Refurbishment bridging fits when the property already exists, the works programme is improvement-led (kitchens, bathrooms, layout changes, light structural, EPC uplifts, HMO conversion), and the post-works value uplift is incremental rather than transformational. Typical structure: single drawdown at funding day, works funded from borrower equity or a retention released in stages, 6–18 month term, exit via sale or BTL refinance. See our dedicated refurbishment bridging loan page for the detail on rates, LTV bands, and heavy-vs-light refurb mechanics.
Development bridging fits when the project involves ground-up build, change of use, substantial structural alteration, or any case where the post-works asset is fundamentally different from the day-one asset. Typical structure: phased drawdowns tied to QS progress reports, longer term (12–36 months), GDV-led underwrite, exit via sale, refinance, or transition into full development finance.
Hybrid cases are common — e.g. a refurbishment that's "heavy" enough (planning permission required, change of use, >15% GDV uplift) blurs into development territory. In practice, we route the case to whichever specialist lender's product structure matches the actual works programme, not the borrower's label for it. Talk to us about the specifics and we'll tell you which product (and which lender) is the right fit.
When does a refurbishment bridging loan become a development bridging loan?
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Real Results
Deals We've Structured
Ready to Discuss Your Project?
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