By | The latest analysis by West One Loans, a leading provider of property finance and specialist mortgages, shows that while new homes continue to be built across England, analysis of historic housing delivery levels show that we’re already on the back foot when it comes to addressing the housing crisis and, when it comes to new home starts, Labour are off to a slow start.
The firm believes that specialist finance can play a vital role in helping the country deliver the housing stock needed by 2030, supporting faster development, unlocking complex sites, and enabling smaller developers to bring forward projects that may otherwise remain dormant. The analysis from West One Loans shows that, over the past five years, an average of 231,234 net additional dwellings have been delivered annually across England, with the South East seeing the largest average annual rate of delivery at 40,458.  Whilst a significant contribution, it’s one that still leaves a substantial gap in housing supply and falls well short of the latest targets set by the Labour Government. Since coming into power, the Labour Government has promised to deliver the homes needed to address the housing crisis. Labour’s housing target is to build 1.5 million new homes by 2030, averaging 370,000 homes annually. However, previous research by West One Loans highlights that, based on current rates of new-build starts, the government could take nearly 12 years to meet its headline housing targets, far beyond the five-year time frame set out in manifesto pledges. The firm believes that bridging and development finance will need to play a vital role if we are to realise these housing delivery ambitions. Bridging finance provides short-term, flexible funding that allows developers to act quickly, unlocking stalled or off-market sites, facilitating conversions and refurbishments, and enabling time-sensitive projects to proceed. Development finance supports new-build projects, particularly for smaller SME housebuilders who often struggle to access traditional lending, and can help fund brownfield or more complex regeneration schemes that might otherwise remain dormant. By offering speed, flexibility, and tailored funding solutions, bridging and development finance can accelerate construction, increase housing supply, and help the UK move closer to meeting its ambitious targets. Thomas Cantor, Co-Head of Short-Term Finance at West One Loans, commented:“While new homes are being delivered, the current pace is not enough to meet national housing demand and, based on the average number of homes delivered over the last five years, we’re already starting on the back foot when it comes to addressing the housing crisis. We simply can’t afford the luxury of a slow start to Labour’s housing delivery ambitions and, in this respect, the specialist finance sector can play a pivotal role in driving market activity. Bridging and development finance provide the flexibility and speed developers need to unlock projects and bring forward housing that may otherwise remain stalled. They enable the use of complex or off-market sites, support smaller SME housebuilders who often face barriers to traditional lending, and can accelerate conversions, refurbishments, and regeneration schemes. By helping developers act quickly and with confidence, these solutions not only increase the quantity of homes delivered but also promote innovation, urban renewal, and greater diversity in the housing market, all of which are essential to closing the supply gap and meeting the country’s housing targets by 2030.” Data tables and sources |
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