£2.7bn in Development Opportunities Across England
The latest research by specialist property finance lender, West One Loans, has shown that there are currently £2.7 billion worth of development opportunities in the current market, with the South West home to the highest proportion of potential plots available for developers to capitalise on.
West One Loans analysed current land, plot, and site listings across England, identifying locations with existing planning permission or clear development potential. The firm then estimated the combined market value based on regional average plot prices to provide an idea of the scale of opportunity available to residential developers.
In total, an estimated 7,364 viable land and plot opportunities are currently available across the country.
The greatest volume is found in the South West, which accounts for 24% of the national total, with 1,747 sites currently listed for sale. The South East follows accounting for 21% of total available plots,, while the East of England ranks third (13%).
When it comes to total market value, the South East takes the top spot. With an average plot valued at £488,021, the region boasts £763.3 million in available development stock.
The South West ranks second with an estimated total of £538.1 million, followed by the East of England at £393.5 million.
London’s limited supply of just 213 listings still amounts to almost £200 million in value, owing to its high average site price of £932,038. Meanwhile, more affordable land across the North East equates to just under £47.6 million in opportunity, despite nearly the same number of listings as the capital.
The research clearly highlights the wealth of opportunities currently available to developers across the English market. While economic headwinds, planning delays, and funding constraints may prove prohibitive for some, those in a position to act not only benefit from significant choice but also the potential to secure sites at more favourable price points. For developers looking to push on during the second half of the year, the ability to leverage specialist lending solutions – particularly bridging and development exit finance – can provide the flexibility and momentum needed to overcome these barriers and capitalise on current market conditions.
Co-Head of Short-Term Finance at West One Loans, Thomas Cantor, commented:
“Our latest research highlights the vast scale of development opportunities currently available across England, with the South West emerging as a particularly promising region in terms of both the opportunities available and the estimated value of these plots.
It’s clear that despite the challenges facing the sector, the nation’s housebuilders remain keen to capitalise on these opportunities and at West One, we’ve seen increased demand for both bridging and development finance as developers seek to act quickly to do so – whether acquiring land, funding builds, or unlocking equity to progress to their next site.
With the Government now moving to boost demand by relaxing mortgage criteria regulations we expect to see further activity on the part of housebuilders and specialist lenders will continue to play a crucial role in supporting and accelerating new home delivery in an environment that is increasingly optimistic.
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