North Cornwall · PL28 · Cornwall Council North
Permitted development in Padstow — what's allowed without planning
Most Padstow 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 PL28 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. Every Padstow project we take on begins with reading the local context — Padstow is a working fishing harbour on the Camel Estuary, AONB-designated, with one of the strongest period property markets in Cornwall and a tight Conservation Area covering the inner harbour, with a building stock that leans toward Victorian villas above the village and Georgian harbour terraces.
Padstow sits in North Cornwall — just off the A389; with Truro the closest city; 5 miles from Wadebridge.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓ 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
Padstow 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
Padstow-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
Cornwall AONB and Heritage Coast across the whole peninsula
Watch #2
Principal residence sentiment from the parish on new dwellings
Watch #3
Tight medieval lanes around the harbour limiting site logistics
Watch #4
Granite-and-slate vernacular controls on visible elevations
Local proof — Our North Cornwall workload means a Padstow planning application project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Padstow Planning — local questions answered.
- What's permitted development in Padstow?
- 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 Padstow?
- 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 Padstow?
- 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 Padstow 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.
- Do I need to consult my neighbours before applying?
- You don't have to — the council formally consults them — but a quiet conversation early on usually pays off. Objections from neighbours are weighed by the planning officer and can be the deciding factor on borderline schemes.
Local context
Why Padstow is its own job.
Conservation Area is extensive, with most of the historic core protected. Padstow's Neighbourhood Plan operates a strong principal residence policy; second homes and holiday lets face explicit policy resistance. That sets the scene before any design work begins. For planning application specifically, parts of Padstow 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 Padstow drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. It's the kind of detail that decides whether a Padstow application gets approved at eight weeks or stalls in committee. The Victorian villas above the village that dominate Padstow (and continue out toward Wadebridge) 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.
Recent work nearby
Trevone clifftop replacement dwelling pulled below the existing ridge to clear coast-path views.
See more recent North Cornwall work →What we focus on
Planning considerations specific to Padstow.
01
Pre-app responses are not binding but they are a strong steer — and worth the fee on anything contentious.
02
Tree Preservation Orders, ecology surveys and neighbour consultation responses can change the validation list mid-application.
03
Article 4 directions in some parishes remove permitted development rights you'd normally rely on elsewhere.
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 Padstow 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
Why Padstow homeowners pick a local studio for planning application.
Building stock
Across Padstow (PL28) we work on medieval merchant houses, Georgian harbour terraces, Victorian villas above the village, modern coastal homes at Trevone and Trethillick. Each stock type drives a different planning application response — Victorian villas above the village in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Padstow is its own town in North Cornwall, with planning history that's specific to the PL28 catchment.
Coverage
We cover PL28 from our studio, with regular planning application jobs also running in Wadebridge, Rock, Trevone. Most Padstow site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Padstow site?
Usually within the same week. Padstow (PL28) is on our regular North Cornwall run, alongside Wadebridge, Rock, Trevone. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitPadstow is the hub for these neighbourhoods
We run planning across Padstow and the surrounding PL28 neighbourhoods — same studio, same site team.
- St Eval
PL27
- Trevone
PL28
- Harlyn
PL28
- St Merryn
PL28
- Constantine Bay
PL28
- Treyarnon
PL28
- Porthcothan
PL28
- Little Petherick
PL27
Other services in Padstow
Nearby places we cover
Local neighbourhoods in Padstow
A Lawful Development Certificate is cheap insurance on a Padstow PD scheme — it pins down what's allowed before you build, and protects resale value.