Regional growth: why developers are looking beyond London

London remains the UK’s flagship property market, but developers are increasingly looking to regional cities for growth. Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Bristol all offer strong fundamentals: rising populations, significant inward investment, and affordability relative to the capital.

Yields in regional cities are typically more attractive, and entry costs lower. This combination is drawing both domestic and overseas investors.

For lenders, regional schemes can offer robust opportunities, provided developers demonstrate strong local knowledge and reliable contractors. The key risks are supply pipelines and reliance on single industries, but in diversified cities the outlook remains positive. As London grapples with affordability and planning complexity, the regions look set to capture a growing share of development finance activity. Imperial Blue Finance offers loans across England, including key growth markets, with facilities tailored to the realities of local demand.