The British Business Bank, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), has agreed an increase of £200m to its existing £150m ENABLE Build guarantee facility with specialist bank Shawbrook.
This brings the total guarantee facility size to £350m and will further support Shawbrook in providing development finance and bridging lending to UK smaller housebuilders, meaning more new homes can be built across the UK, including Scotland.
Shawbrook has now surpassed £3bn of lending to UK property developers since 2016. From December 2024 to June 2026, around £240m of this lending, which has supported around 1,200 homes, has been included in the existing ENABLE Build transaction.
With the new facility, around £700m of lending is expected to be included over the lifetime of the scheme.
Shawbrook provides specialist lending to businesses and property customers across the UK, including structured credit facilities for growth-focused businesses, and specialist property finance for professional landlords, property investors and developers.
The British Business Bank partners with the private sector to increase the supply and variety of debt finance for smaller businesses and housebuilders across the UK.
The ENABLE Build programme is delivered by the British Business Bank on behalf of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. It is designed to encourage additional lending to smaller housebuilders in the UK, ultimately supporting the Government’s ambitions to build more homes across the UK. The programme is open to finance providers which provide, or intend to provide, development finance to viable smaller housebuilders operating in the UK.
As at March 2026, ENABLE Build has supported over £2bn of finance to smaller housebuilders, delivering over 10,000 homes.
Michael Strevens, Managing Director, Structured Financial Institution Solutions, British Business Bank, said: “By increasing this ENABLE Build guarantee facility with Shawbrook we are taking a deliberate step to support the funding smaller housebuilders need to help address housing shortages. The additional capacity created will help Shawbrook achieve its growth ambitions in the sector, allowing more developers to bring new homes forward and strengthening the pipeline of housing supply across the country.”
Simon Knowles, Senior Director, Development Finance at Shawbrook, said: “Building on our partnership with the British Business Bank, this increased facility will enable us to extend our support to even more housebuilders. Smaller housebuilders have a vital role to play in increasing housing supply, and this additional capacity means we can provide further specialist funding to progress new developments and deliver much-needed homes.”
