The short answer is: badly!
However there is slightly more to it than that. There are still funding opportunities out there, but developers have to be mindful of their profits margins. Lenders are looking incredibly closely at these deals and are making absolutely sure of every aspect of a deal.
As a general rule we would suggest that if you do not have experience, a healthy amount of working capital and a really good plot with great resale values, then, for the time being, property development finance is probably not for you.
Update:
The situation is gradually starting to improve. The bridging finance industry is starting to show signs of growth, which means that property is starting to sell again.
Bridging finance is important as traditionally it is the start of the development cycle for many small property developers. Property developers need to be able to quickly purchase suitable sites for development, whilst they obtian the appropriate planning consents before refinancing the whole package onto traditional development funding.