Mid Cornwall · PL26 · Cornwall Council Mid
Measured Surveys Roche: PL26 planning, Mid Cornwall fabric
A measured survey records the building as it stands, not as the original drawings claimed it would be. Every planning drawing, building regulation package and builder's quote we produce sits on one, because a wall that is 60mm out of square on paper becomes a 60mm problem on site. Every Roche project we take on begins with reading the local context — Roche is a village in the heart of china clay country with the dramatic Roche Rock and St Michael's Chapel on its outskirts, a fifteenth-century parish church and a tight Conservation Area, with a building stock that leans toward post-war estates and Edwardian houses.
Roche sits in Mid Cornwall — just off the A390; covering PL26 from Bugle, St Austell outward.
- Conservation Area
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓Cornwall Council Mid sub-area regulars
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
- ✓Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
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Tell us about your measured survey. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Local watch-list
The PL26 constraints that shape a measured survey brief.
Watch #1
Conservation Area controls on materials, window proportions and roof form through central Roche
Watch #2
Local Plan tests on isolated dwellings, plus lane access for plant and deliveries around Roche
Watch #3
Party Wall notices and shallow roof voids typical of traditional cob and granite cottages in the PL26 district
Who this is for
In Roche the measured survey brief is almost always a private homeowner improving a forever home — so we lead with feasibility and long-term value, not show-home rhetoric.
Page purpose
What you actually get on a Roche measured survey drawings package
This is a drawings-led service. You are buying a documented, submission-ready set for a PL26 address, not a build contract. For most Roche householders that means a measured survey, an honest feasibility view, then the drawings the council and your builder both need.
- Measured survey and existing drawings before any proposal is drawn
- A written planning route for the PL26 address, including whether permitted development is realistically available
- Proposed plans, elevations and site plan at the scales the authority expects
- Submission and validation handling, plus responses to officer queries
Scope
Where our work starts and stops on a PL26 project
Not every project needs every stage. On a Roche job we scope to what the site and the consent route actually require.
Heritage and design statements
Written justification where designation makes the design case as important as the drawing.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Who this is for
Our footing in Mid Cornwall
- Designated-area work is routine here, so heritage and landscape statements are produced alongside the drawings rather than outsourced.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a measured survey enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Roche questions has seen the detail built.
Planning rules change and every site is different. For the final position on your address, check with Cornwall Council as the local planning authority or the Planning Portal.
Keep reading
Related PL26 pages
We cover Roche and the wider PL26 district directly. Measured Surveys enquiries here are common enough that we know the constraints before the first visit.
Local context
Why Roche is its own job.
Conservation Area covers the village core. Roche Rock SSSI and listed chapel, plus surrounding clay pits, shape most planning conversations. That sets the scene before any design work begins. For measured survey specifically, parts of Roche sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; 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. It's the kind of detail that decides whether a Roche application gets approved at eight weeks or stalls in committee. The post-war estates that dominate Roche (and continue out toward Lanivet) set the tone for any measured survey scheme here. Where a property sits inside a conservation area or is listed, the assessment tends to turn on materials, window detailing and how visible the change is from the street rather than floor area alone. Cornwall Council's conservation team, or the Planning Portal, is the right place to confirm what applies to a specific address. Granite and cob walls do not behave like modern cavity construction. Breathability, damp movement and structural openings all need drawing properly, and building control will want that shown rather than assumed.
Planning note
Cornwall Council will not validate an application without accurate existing plans and elevations, so the survey is the first thing that gets done, not an optional extra.
What we focus on
Measured Surveys considerations specific to Roche.
01
Boundary positions, drainage runs and manhole covers matter as much as the house itself once an extension is proposed.
02
Roof pitches on slate roofs vary along the length of the run, and a survey that misses that produces a dormer or rooflight detail that will not sit flush.
03
Floor levels in older cottages frequently step between rooms, which changes the whole approach to a level access threshold or a new opening.
04
Cornish stone and cob walls are rarely parallel and often vary in thickness between floors, so wall build-ups have to be measured room by room rather than assumed.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Roche project is worth pursuing?
Send a few details — we'll come back within 1 working day with a plain-English view on planning risk, likely cost band and whether it's a project we'd take on.
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Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Roche and the PL26 area.
Our process
How a Roche measured survey project runs.
Step 1
Address and scope
You send the address and rough size, we confirm a fixed fee and a date.
Step 2
Site visit
Room by room measurement, elevations, levels, photographs and drainage.
Step 3
Drawing up
The measurements are drawn as existing plans, elevations and sections at scale.
Step 4
Issue and check
You receive PDF and CAD files, and we walk through anything unusual we found.
Step 5
Design or handover
The survey becomes the base drawing for design, or it is yours to take elsewhere.
Surveys range from a single room reconfiguration to a full farmstead with several outbuildings recorded in one visit.
FAQs
Roche Measured Surveys — local questions answered.
- What is a measured survey and why do I need one?
- It is an accurate dimensional record of your existing building, drawn to scale. You need one because planning and building control both require existing and proposed drawings, and because a builder pricing from guessed dimensions will price in a risk margin you end up paying for. In Roche specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- Can I use your survey with another designer or builder?
- Yes. The survey is issued to you as scaled PDF and CAD files and it is yours to use, whether we go on to do the design or not.
- Do you survey land and levels as well as buildings?
- We record site levels and boundary positions to the level a householder application and a building regulation package need. Where a scheme needs a full topographical survey to a fixed datum, we will say so and coordinate it.
- How much does a measured survey cost?
- It depends on floor area, the number of storeys and how irregular the building is. A standard three bedroom house is a straightforward half day on site; a rambling farmhouse with outbuildings takes considerably longer. We quote a fixed figure once we know the address and rough size, and where the survey leads into a full design commission it is usually folded into the package fee.
- We live in the house. Can a measured survey in Roche be done while we stay put?
- Usually yes for single-storey and rear work, with a temporary kitchen or bathroom arrangement agreed before the start. Whole-house remodels and roof work in Roche are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
Local proof — Our Mid Cornwall workload means a Roche measured survey project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
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Nearby places we cover
The measured survey jobs we're proudest of in Roche are the ones where the planning route was clear before a single elevation was drawn. Here that means the Conservation Area boundary decides the route before the design does.
Find out what your PL26 address is likely to be allowed Measured Surveys enquiries here usually start with a walk round.
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