Lizard Peninsula · TR12
Permitted development in Mullion — what's allowed without planning
Most Mullion homeowners have more PD rights than they realise — but the Conservation Area removes the big ones (rear extensions, side extensions, cladding changes). Below is what's typically allowed on a TR12 property — and what catches people out. We prepare and submit planning applications to Cornwall Council and, where relevant, the Isles of Scilly authority — handling drawings, statements, validation queries and officer negotiation from start to determination. What works on a TR12 plot rarely works elsewhere — Mullion is the largest village on the Lizard Peninsula, AONB-designated, with a fifteenth-century church, a working cove and the highest concentration of period housing on the peninsula, with a building stock that leans toward 1960s coastal bungalows and Edwardian guesthouses.
Mullion sits in Lizard Peninsula — covering TR12 from Mawgan, Ruan Minor, The Lizard outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Rear extension up to 3m (terraced/semi) without planning
- ✓ Loft volume up to 40m³ (terrace) under PD
- ✓ Outbuildings up to 2.5m eaves height
- ✓ Lawful Development Certificate from £100
Who this is for
Mullion runs the full mix — owner-occupier, holiday-let, commercial and the occasional smallholding — so we scope every planning application enquiry from the use-class up.
Local watch-list
Local snags worth knowing before drawing a Mullion planning application.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Mullion
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact scrutiny on visible elevations
Watch #3
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Watch #4
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — We typically have one or two planning application jobs live in the TR12 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Mullion Planning — local questions answered.
- What's permitted development in Mullion?
- Single-storey rear extensions up to 3m (terraced/semi) or 4m (detached), loft conversions up to 40m³ (terrace) or 50m³ (semi/detached), and most outbuildings under 2.5m eaves. Conservation Area removes side extensions, cladding and roof extensions from PD.
- Do I need to apply for anything if it's PD?
- Legally no, but a Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) costs about £100 and gives Cornwall Council's confirmation in writing. We strongly recommend it for resale and for any neighbour disputes.
- What removes PD rights in Mullion?
- Conservation Area designation, Article 4 directions, flats and maisonettes, and any deed restriction from a previous planning permission. We check all four before quoting.
- How much does a planning application cost in Mullion?
- Cornwall Council charges a fixed national fee — currently £258 for a householder application and £578 for a single new dwelling. Our fee for the drawings, statements and submission sits separately and depends on project complexity. In Mullion specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- Do you handle listed building consent?
- Yes. Listed Building Consent runs alongside planning where works affect a listed structure, including some interior alterations. The drawing detail and Heritage Statement are fundamentally different from a standard planning pack.
- Can you submit a retrospective application?
- Yes. We regularly handle retrospective applications — sometimes after enforcement contact, sometimes voluntarily before sale. Honesty in the supporting statement is the difference between approval and refusal.
Local context
Why Mullion is its own job.
Cornwall Council's lens on Mullion is consistent: mullion Conservation Area covers the village centre; the wider parish is entirely within the AONB and includes Heritage Coast designation. Cliff-edge and coastal margin sites face the strictest controls in West Cornwall. For planning application specifically, parts of Mullion sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; the surrounding landscape falls inside the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so massing, height and landscape impact carry extra weight in any planning decision; coastal salt-laden air around Mullion drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure; Cornwall Council's Local Plan applies tighter tests to isolated rural dwellings here, so design rationale and policy fit need to be set out clearly from the outset. That's why we treat every Mullion project as a TR12-area job first — not a generic Cornwall job with a postcode bolted on. The 1960s coastal bungalows that dominate Mullion (and continue out toward The Lizard) set the tone for any planning application scheme here.
Planning note
Cornwall Council's planning team is among the busiest in the South West. A clean, well-documented submission moves through validation faster than a bare-minimum one.
What we focus on
Planning considerations specific to Mullion.
01
Cornwall's Local Plan policies on second homes, holiday lets and principal residence restrictions affect what's likely to gain consent in some parishes.
02
Pre-app responses are not binding but they are a strong steer — and worth the fee on anything contentious.
03
Tree Preservation Orders, ecology surveys and neighbour consultation responses can change the validation list mid-application.
04
Cornwall has more than thirty Conservation Areas and large stretches of AONB; planning weight on materials, mass and form is significantly higher in those zones.
Our process
How a Mullion planning application project runs.
Step 1
Initial review
We assess constraints — Conservation Area, AONB, listed status, Article 4, TPOs, flood zone.
Step 2
Strategy
We recommend the right application type and likely fee, programme and supporting documents.
Step 3
Drawing and statement preparation
Plans, elevations, sections, block and location plans, plus DAS and any heritage or ecology input.
Step 4
Submission and validation
We upload to the Planning Portal, pay the council fee on your behalf and respond to validation requests.
Step 5
Determination
We monitor consultation, respond to officer queries and negotiate amendments where it improves the chances of approval.
Householder applications are typically eight to twelve weeks from validation; full planning runs thirteen to sixteen weeks; major or contentious schemes can take longer.
Local fabric
Choosing a planning application team that actually knows TR12.
Building stock
Across Mullion (TR12) we work on granite cottages around the church, Edwardian guesthouses, 1960s coastal bungalows, modern AONB-sensitive replacement dwellings. Each stock type drives a different planning application response — 1960s coastal bungalows in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Mullion is its own town in Lizard Peninsula, with planning history that's specific to the TR12 catchment.
Coverage
We cover TR12 from our studio, with regular planning application jobs also running in Mawgan, Ruan Minor, The Lizard. Most Mullion site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Mullion site?
Usually within the same week. Mullion (TR12) is on our regular Lizard Peninsula run, alongside Mawgan, Ruan Minor, The Lizard. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitMullion is the hub for these neighbourhoods
We run planning across Mullion and the surrounding TR12 neighbourhoods — same studio, same site team.
- Cury
TR12
- Gunwalloe
TR12
- Predannack
TR12
Other services in Mullion
Nearby places we cover
Local neighbourhoods in Mullion
A Lawful Development Certificate is cheap insurance on a Mullion PD scheme — it pins down what's allowed before you build, and protects resale value.
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