63% of brokers operating in the sector have seen demand for development finance increase since the start of 2012, according to United Trust Bank's broker survey.<br> <br> The survey found that 28% of brokers had seen a decrease in the availability of development funding this year with a third (33%) seeing no change.<br> <br> More than half of the brokers felt that the availability of development finance would be a key factor in the success of the construction industry over the next three years.<br> <br> Noel Meredith, director at United Trust Bank, said: "It's encouraging to see that most brokers are experiencing an increased demand for development finance which may signal that developers are gaining confidence in the market and are looking to increase activity. We continue to experience a high level of enquiries and are taking forward an increasing number of quality proposals. These are mainly for family housing in affluent areas where the market remains reasonably active."<br> <br> "It is equally important that there are buyers ready and able to purchase the end product," Meredith continues. "The market in many areas will only start to recover when 85 – 90% mortgages are commonly available at reasonable rates."