Property type: Industrial
Industrial Property Bridging Loans Manchester
We arrange bridging finance against industrial and warehouse property across Trafford Park (M17), Wythenshawe (M22), the East Manchester industrial corridor around Sportcity, the Stockport edge sites and the wider Greater Manchester industrial belt. Loan sizes run £250,000 to £15 million, terms 1 to 24 months, with completions in 14 to 28 days. Most industrial bridges price between 0.75% and 1.2% per month depending on covenant, lease unexpired term and the strength of the refinance route.
- Decisions in hours
- Completion in days
- £100k to £25m
- Greater Manchester specialists
The asset class
What industrial property looks like in Greater Manchester.
Industrial property across Greater Manchester covers a wide spread. At the prime end sits the institutional logistics stock on the Trafford Park estate (M17), the largest planned industrial estate in Europe, with major occupiers including Kellogg's, ICI, Procter and Gamble, Asda's regional distribution centre and a deep pipeline of mid-box logistics and trade-counter stock. Sharston, Roundthorn and Wythenshawe (M22, M23) carry the south-Manchester light-industrial stock close to Manchester Airport and the M56. East Manchester around Openshaw, Gorton and Sportcity (M11, M12, M18) holds the inner-ring industrial and trade-counter stock, with regeneration driving some change-of-use pressure. The Trafford Park, Sharston and Wythenshawe markets all benefit from the M60, M62 and M56 motorway network and from the Manchester Ship Canal logistics catchment via Port Salford. Stockport (Adswood, Bredbury) and Bolton, Bury and Oldham boroughs hold significant secondary industrial estate stock, much of which is candidate for refurbishment or last-mile logistics repositioning.
Use cases
Bridging use cases for industrial assets.
Industrial bridging clusters around five use cases. The first is purchase of single-let investments where the buyer expects to re-gear the lease or sell the freehold to an investor. The second is purchase plus refurbishment of tired secondary industrial estate units, with the works funding new cladding, roof, doors and yard surface, and the exit to a commercial investment refinance. The third is owner-occupier purchase of a trading unit, often by a North West manufacturing, distribution or trade business buying their freehold, with the exit to a commercial owner-occupier term loan from a high-street challenger or specialist commercial lender. The fourth is capital raise against an unencumbered industrial portfolio for the next deal. The fifth is change-of-use, particularly inner-ring stock at the edge of the East Manchester regeneration zone where industrial is feasibly convertible to residential, mixed-use or last-mile logistics. Across these, lenders price on covenant, lease length and the realism of the exit.
Manchester context
Trafford Park, Wythenshawe and the East Manchester Industrial Belt
The Trafford Park estate in M17 sits at the centre of the North West industrial market. Originally built around the Manchester Ship Canal between 1898 and 1914, the estate now holds around 1,400 businesses across 4.7 square miles, employing approximately 35,000 people. Major occupiers include Kellogg's UK head office, ICI Paints, Procter and Gamble, the Trafford Park rail freight terminal, and Asda's regional distribution facility. Logistics demand from Amazon, DHL and the regional retail distribution sector has tightened vacancy across Trafford Park mid-box stock to historically low levels. Sharston and Roundthorn industrial estates in M22 and M23 sit adjacent to Manchester Airport and serve as the south-Manchester light-industrial cluster, with strong demand from MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) businesses, airport-supply firms and last-mile logistics. The East Manchester industrial belt around Openshaw, Gorton, Beswick and Sportcity (M11, M12, M18) holds inner-ring industrial stock, with the wider Etihad Campus and Eastlands regeneration creating change-of-use pressure on some sites. Out into Bury (M26 industrial corridor), Bolton (Horwich, Logistics North) and Oldham (Hollinwood, Chadderton), the secondary industrial stock holds steady regional manufacturing and distribution demand. Bridging lenders read Trafford Park investment lots at the prime end of the North West market, Sharston and Wythenshawe at strong mid-market pricing, and the inner-ring East Manchester stock with closer attention to the change-of-use planning position.
Valuation and lenders
Valuation and lender considerations.
Industrial valuations come back on yield-and-rent for let investments and on vacant possession for owner-occupier or refurb cases. Lenders typically go to 65 to 70% LTV against the operative figure on tenanted investment stock with a recognisable covenant and a reasonable unexpired term, and to 60 to 65% on vacant possession or owner-occupier purchases. Trafford Park institutional stock can sometimes reach 70%. Last-mile logistics and trade-counter units with strong recent letting evidence support lower-end pricing. MT Finance, Octane Capital, United Trust Bank and Hope Capital all take industrial on bridging, with OakNorth, Shawbrook and Allica strong on the larger commercial cases. Industrial valuations take longer than residential because the valuer typically needs comparable evidence on rent per square foot and per square metre across multiple recent lettings.
What we arrange
What we typically arrange.
A typical Manchester industrial bridge sits at £400,000 to £3 million, 60 to 70% LTV, 9 to 15 months term, 0.75 to 1.2% per month, arrangement fee 1.5 to 2%. Owner-occupier purchases price at the lower end where the borrower has a clear commercial term loan in process. Refurbishment cases include a works tranche released against monitoring surveyor sign-off. Investment cases focus on the covenant strength and the unexpired term. We typically complete in 18 to 28 days where the title is clean and the valuer has clear comparable evidence.
FAQs
Industrial bridging questions
Can we bridge a vacant industrial unit in Trafford Park?
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Yes, but lenders price vacant industrial harder than tenanted industrial. Most lenders cap vacant industrial bridging at 60 to 65% LTV and price at the upper end of the industrial range. Where the borrower has an owner-occupier plan, a letting agent appointed with marketing live, or a change-of-use position, the case looks better. Pure speculative purchase of vacant industrial in a thin sub-market with no plan is the hardest case to place and typically requires either a strong sponsor balance sheet or a low LTV ask.
How long does an industrial bridge take to complete in Greater Manchester?
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Standard completion is 18 to 28 working days from instruction. Industrial valuations typically take 10 to 14 working days because the valuer needs comparable rent and yield evidence across multiple recent lettings in the same sub-market. Where the borrower is an established commercial operator with prior industrial purchases, and where the title and lease pack are clean, we have completed in 14 working days. Auction-driven industrial cases can compress further with title insurance.
Does Trafford Park industrial stock bridge differently to Wythenshawe or East Manchester stock?
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Yes. Trafford Park institutional logistics stock with recognisable covenants and modern specification reads at the prime end of the North West industrial market, with LTV caps reaching 70% and rates at the lower end of the bridging range. Wythenshawe (Sharston, Roundthorn) sits in the strong mid-market with similar treatment for clean tenanted lots. East Manchester inner-ring industrial, where regeneration pressure exists and change-of-use is sometimes in play, attracts a wider rate spread depending on the asset positioning and the borrower's plan.
Tell us about the deal
Indicative terms within 24 hours.
A short triage call, then a sized indicative offer against a named lender for your industrial property in Manchester or across Greater Manchester.
Regulated bridging on owner-occupied residential property falls under FCA regulation. Unregulated bridging on commercial and investment property does not. We are not directly regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and we introduce regulated cases to authorised partners who carry out the regulated activity.
Next step
Talk to a Manchester industrial bridging specialist.
We arrange short-term finance on industrial property across Manchester, the Brighton and Hove unitary authority and the wider Greater Manchester market. Indicative terms in 24 hours.