To start with, you'll need a highly detailed schedule of works, and a budget setting out the costings for each element of the development.

Lenders will need to see these plans before offering to lend and will understand that some parts of the schedule will require a higher proportion of funding than others.

That means you can streamline the agreed tranches to align with your expected budget and schedule, rather than needing to pause work while you wait for the next stage to be released.

In some cases, the funds are available only in fixed values, spread equally throughout the project. In that case, you need to assess the costs carefully. You might run into cash flow problems during crucial stages where you need more cash to cover the cost of the work. Conversely, you might have a month where the works are less expensive, and end up drawing more than you need - and incurring interest on those unused funds.

Good planning, accurate estimates and having a robust contingency budget are all essential to good development finance cash flow management.