Development Finance in Belfast
CoreFi arranges development finance for Belfast property projects, typically limited companies and SPVs funding ground-up build, conversion or heavy refurbishment. We match your scheme to lenders who fund Northern Ireland development. Loan-to-cost and loan-to-GDV figures are indicative and depend on the scheme, the exit and lender appetite.
Development finance funds the build cost of a property project, released in stages against the work as it completes, and is repaid when the finished scheme is sold or refinanced. Across Belfast that spans a wide range: residential and mixed-use schemes in and around the Titanic Quarter and the wider Harbour regeneration, office and linen-mill conversions in the Cathedral Quarter and around the Gasworks, student and build-to-rent blocks close to the universities and the city centre, and residential development out through the suburbs and into Newtownabbey, Lisburn and the Greater Belfast fringe. CoreFi is a commercial finance broker; we match your scheme to lenders whose criteria fit. We do not lend and we do not decide the outcome. Any loan-to-cost, loan-to-GDV or rate figure here is indicative and for illustration only.
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Share the scheme
Send us the site, the planning position, an outline appraisal and your track record. It costs nothing to start and there is no obligation.
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We match you to development lenders
We identify lenders whose appetite fits your scheme type, stage, leverage need and Northern Ireland, and package the appraisal, programme and exit the way they expect to see it.
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Review terms and proceed
Interested lenders come back with indicative terms and leverage. Any loan-to-cost or loan-to-GDV figure is illustrative until formally offered. You decide, and we help manage the facility through to drawdown.
How development finance works
Development finance is structured around the scheme, not just the borrower. A lender typically funds a proportion of land cost and most of the build cost, drawn down in stages as an independent monitoring surveyor signs off completed work, with interest usually rolled up and settled on exit. The two figures that shape a facility are loan-to-cost, the share of total project cost the lender will fund, and loan-to-GDV, the loan measured against the gross development value of the finished scheme. Both are capped to protect the lender and are set case by case. A clear, credible exit matters as much as the build itself: a lender wants to see how the finished units in a Titanic Quarter apartment scheme or a Cathedral Quarter conversion will actually be sold or refinanced. We avoid quoting fixed leverage or rates up front because they depend entirely on the scheme.
What lenders look at on Belfast schemes
On a development case, lenders assess the site and planning status, the build cost and programme, the developer's track record, and above all the exit. Full detailed planning consent de-risks a scheme considerably; sites at an earlier planning stage narrow the field of lenders and change the terms. Belfast has particular local factors: some funders are cautious about the Northern Ireland residential and commercial market and price it differently from Great Britain, sales absorption rates vary by area, and conversions of listed or period stock in the Cathedral Quarter carry their own cost and consent risk. We match your scheme to lenders whose appetite genuinely covers Northern Ireland development and your asset type, rather than sending it wide and hoping. A realistic appraisal, a costed build programme and evidence of your track record all strengthen the case.
Why bring the scheme to CoreFi
Development lending is specialist and the field is not obvious from the outside: high-street banks, challenger banks, dedicated development funders and private lenders all sit at different points on risk, leverage and cost, and only some of them actively fund Northern Ireland schemes at all. Approaching them cold is slow, and a scheme presented poorly, or to the wrong lender, can come back with a no that says more about fit than about the project. We package the appraisal, the programme and the exit in the way lenders expect, and focus it on the funders most likely to support a Belfast scheme of your type and stage. We cannot promise leverage, a rate or an approval, because those decisions sit with the lender, but we can make sure the scheme is put in front of the right people properly.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of Belfast schemes do you help fund?
Ground-up residential and mixed-use, office and mill conversions, student and build-to-rent, and heavy refurbishment, across the Titanic Quarter, the Cathedral Quarter, the city centre and the Greater Belfast area. The lender confirms whether they fund your specific scheme and location.
How much of the cost can development finance cover?
It varies by scheme, planning status and exit, and is expressed as loan-to-cost and loan-to-GDV, both capped case by case. Any figures we discuss are indicative until a lender formally offers. The lender sets the leverage.
Does the Northern Ireland market affect who will lend?
Yes. Some development funders are less active in Northern Ireland or price it differently from Great Britain. Part of our job is to focus your scheme on lenders who genuinely support the region and your asset type. The lender still confirms its own appetite.
Do you lend the development funds?
No. We are a commercial finance broker, not a lender. We package and place the scheme, but whether it is funded, and on what terms, is entirely the lender's decision and depends on the scheme and its exit.
Get matched with lenders for your Belfast business
Tell us what your business needs and we will match you with lenders whose criteria fit. No obligation, no cost to start the conversation, and a straight answer about what is realistic for your situation.
Get matched with lenders