Planning gain: financing the uplift, not just the build
The profit in many land deals is made at the planning committee, not on site. 27 of the 51 development lenders on our panel fund planning-gain projects, and 16 bridging lenders lend against land once permission exists. The financing question is which stage you are at.
We match the site, the planning position and the exit, sell consented or build out, to the lenders whose criteria fit that stage.
The planning-gain panel in numbers
27
of 51 development lenders allow planning-gain projects
16
of 53 bridging lenders take land with planning as security
16
development lenders consider first-time developers
35
bridging lenders fund heavy refurbishment, for change-of-use plays
Counts are distinct lenders on our panel with at least one live product matching the criterion, checked September 2026. Panel composition changes over time, and meeting a criterion is not an offer: every case is subject to the lender's own checks.
The three stages, financed differently
Before planning: buy and hold
A bridge against current-use value carries the site through the application. Conservative leverage, and the lender underwrites your planning case as much as the land: pre-app feedback, local-plan allocation and the professional team all count.
Permission granted: the uplift lands
The consented value replaces current-use value, and the same site suddenly supports far more borrowing. Sell the consented site and bank the gain, or refinance into stage two.
Build-out: development finance takes over
Drawdowns against build costs, sized on loan-to-cost and loan-to-gross-development-value. Our development finance guide covers how those facilities run.
Stage three is covered in depth in our development finance guide; the buy-and-hold stage borrows the mechanics from our bridging guide.
A note on who we take on
We currently work with UK limited companies and LLPs only, for business and commercial purposes. We complete non-regulated introductions and are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. We do not arrange regulated lending, including self-build for your own home.
The panel behind this page
Planning-gain cases go to the 27 lenders on our development panel of 51 that fund them, with the bridging panel carrying the pre-planning stage, part of 200+ lenders across all products. That range matters more than any single rate: the lender that suits a five-year-old limited company with clean accounts is rarely the one that suits a seasonal business or a director with a past blip, and a broker with a shallow panel has to force your case into whichever box it holds.
Names you may recognise on the panel
Examples from our panel as at September 2026, not an endorsement of any lender and not the full list. We check criteria first and put your case only to lenders whose requirements you fit. The full panel by product is in our lender directory, and how we choose is set out on our how we work page.
Frequently asked questions
What is planning gain finance?▼
Funding for the strategy of buying land or property, winning planning permission, and capturing the uplift in value, whether you then sell the consented site or build it out. The finance typically comes in two stages: a bridge to buy and hold the site while the application runs, then either a sale or development finance once permission lands.
How many lenders fund planning gain?▼
27 of the 51 development lenders on our panel allow planning-gain projects, and on the bridging side 16 of 53 lenders take land with planning as security, out of 200+ lenders across all products (checked September 2026; panel composition changes over time). Land WITHOUT planning is a much shorter list again, priced for the risk that permission never comes.
Can I borrow against land before planning is granted?▼
Yes, but conservatively: lenders advance against current-use value, not hope value, so expect lower loan-to-values and pricing that reflects the risk of refusal. Strong pre-application feedback, a site allocated in the local plan, or permitted development fallbacks all improve the case. The uplift itself only becomes bankable once the decision notice exists.
What happens to the finance when permission is granted?▼
The consented value replaces the current-use value, which usually transforms the numbers: the same site now supports a larger facility. Typical next steps are refinancing onto development finance to build, or selling the consented site and repaying the bridge from proceeds. Lenders like seeing that decision made in advance, even provisionally, because it is the exit they are underwriting.
Does planning gain need development experience?▼
It helps but is not a wall: 16 of our development lenders will consider borrowers with little or no build experience, usually alongside a strong professional team. For a gain-and-sell strategy with no build, the experience question matters less than the planning case itself.
Is planning gain finance FCA regulated?▼
Lending to a limited company for a commercial land strategy is generally unregulated. Self-build for your own home is regulated territory and we do not arrange it. CapExpand introduces limited companies and LLPs on a non-regulated basis and is not an FCA-authorised firm.
Important information
CapExpand Ltd is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and can only complete non-regulated introductions. We work with UK limited companies and LLPs only, for business and commercial purposes. We are not a lender and we do not provide financial, tax or legal advice. We do not arrange regulated residential mortgages, consumer buy-to-let mortgages or any other regulated mortgage contracts. We work with a panel of lenders whose particulars are available on request, and we receive commission from the lender if a deal completes, at no cost to you. All lending is subject to status, valuation where applicable and the lender's own checks.
Registered office: Pure Offices, Lake View Drive, Annesley, Nottingham, NG15 0DT. Company No. 14433858.
Tell us about the site and where planning stands
Location, current use, the planning position and the intended exit. We come back with the lenders that fund that stage, usually within a day.