Regional Resilience: Why Prime Bridging Finance Is Expanding Beyond London
By Stacey Baxter, Associate Lending Director at CapitalRise
London has long been the epicentre of high-end real estate – and rightly so, given the capital’s wealth of desirable neighbourhoods, cultural attractions, and its status as a global financial hub. But in 2025, we are seeing a compelling shift: investors are increasingly looking beyond the capital, and bridging finance is following suit.
From the Home Counties and Southeast to the West Country, markets outside of the capital are showing remarkable resilience. While London remains the heartland of high-value real estate – with Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Wandsworth continuing to dominate – we see regional expansion of million-pound listings. Cornwall, for instance, has seen a 246% increase in homes priced above £1 million since 2019, the highest in the country. Essex follows closely with a 233% rise, and Somerset comes in third with a 226% growth in high-value listings.
Government-backed regeneration, improved infrastructure, and changing lifestyle preferences are driving demand for high-quality residential and mixed-use schemes. For borrowers, these areas offer attractive yields and lower entry costs. For lenders, they present new opportunities to support growth in new areas.
At CapitalRise, we’ve expanded our focus to meet this demand. In 2025, 65% of our lending so far has been against projects located outside Greater London. We are now actively lending beyond our traditional footprint in London and the South East.
Recent examples include a portfolio of loans in Eastern England, where we funded a series of assisted living projects. We have also backed a hotel acquisition in Gloucester, a sales exit in Bath, the construction of two new-build houses in the Cotswolds, a sales bridge against a new-build 13,000 sq. ft. mansion on the Wentworth Estate (for which CapitalRise also provided the development finance), and we are also looking at deals in Cheshire and South Wales – to name a few.
Each of these loans reflects our commitment to backing quality projects in a wide range of locations.
Bridging finance plays a crucial role in enabling quality property lending outside London. It allows borrowers to move quickly on acquisitions, navigate planning timelines, and unlock value through refurbishment. In markets where traditional lenders may be cautious, bridging provides the agility and confidence needed to get deals done.
Of course, such lending requires a nuanced approach. Understanding local dynamics, buyer profiles, and planning frameworks is essential. That’s why our origination team is focused on building deep relationships with developers, property professionals, and brokers across high-end areas of the UK.
As we look ahead, we believe regional diversification will be key to the continued growth of quality bridging finance.
The opportunities are there — and Capital Rise is ready to support them.
