Mid Cornwall · PL24 · Cornwall Council Mid
One studio for new build in Biscovey
A bespoke new build is the longest project we do, and the most rewarding. From plot appraisal through planning, building regulations and construction, you work with one team from the first sketch to the handover walk-round. Working in Biscovey means starting from the PL24 context — Biscovey is a town-edge neighbourhood in the PL24 area, where modern housing, larger gardens and edge-of-settlement plots create practical development opportunities, with a building stock that leans toward modern estates and semis.
Biscovey sits in Mid Cornwall — just off the A390; covering PL24 from St Austell, Bugle, St Dennis outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to Mid Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
Free · No obligation
Free Biscovey feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Biscovey?
Both routes are open on a PL24 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Biscovey clients take the drawings, tender them locally, then come back to us for the build if the numbers do not stack up.
- Route one: feasibility, planning and a tender-ready technical pack
- Route two: the same pack, then the build under one contract
- Either way the survey and feasibility work is identical, so the decision can wait
- Fees quoted per stage against the PL24 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Scope options for Biscovey clients
Not every project needs every stage. On a Biscovey job we scope to what the site and the consent route actually require.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Local watch-list
Biscovey-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
Local Plan tests on isolated dwellings, plus lane access for plant and deliveries around Biscovey
Watch #2
Trussed roofs and shallow foundations in the later PL24 estates, which change the structural strategy
Who this is for
Straight facts about working with us here
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Biscovey questions has seen the detail built.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a new build enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Applications for Biscovey are handled through Cornwall Council, with St Austell the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
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.
What we focus on
New Builds considerations specific to Biscovey.
01
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
02
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
03
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
04
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Biscovey 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.
Free · No obligation
Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Biscovey and the PL24 area.
Local context
Why Biscovey is its own job.
Two things shape a Biscovey application: parish character and policy. On policy — neighbour amenity, highways, drainage and the transition from built-up edge to countryside are usually the planning pressure points. For new build specifically, 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. Get that local reading right and the rest of the Biscovey programme tends to run on time. On modern estates in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Nanpean — the new build brief always has to read the existing fabric first.
Planning note
Cornwall's planning policy on new dwellings is among the most restrictive in England outside Greater London. The first conversation should be a planning conversation, not a design one.
Our process
How a Biscovey new build project runs.
Step 1
Plot review
Site visit, planning history check, designation review and an honest feasibility verdict.
Step 2
Concept design
Sketches that test the plot in massing, orientation and approach before any drawings are committed.
Step 3
Planning
Pre-app, full planning, consultee management and condition discharge.
Step 4
Technical design and build prep
Building regs, structural design, services strategy and contractor procurement.
Step 5
Construction and handover
Build delivered under contract administration with regular client reviews.
Most bespoke new builds run eighteen to thirty months from instruction to keys, depending on site, planning route and build complexity.
FAQs
Biscovey New Builds — local questions answered.
- How long does the whole project take?
- Allow six to twelve months for design and approvals, then ten to fourteen months on site for a typical four-bedroom new build. Complex sites or long planning routes extend that. In Biscovey specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- What about utilities, drainage and access?
- All designed and applied for as part of the package — water, electric, off-mains drainage where mains isn't viable, and highways access agreement with Cornwall Council where required.
- What's a replacement dwelling and is mine eligible?
- If a habitable dwelling exists on the plot, you can often replace it — within volumetric and design constraints set by Cornwall's Local Plan. Derelict structures sometimes qualify, sometimes don't, depending on lawful use history.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Biscovey 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 Biscovey are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- How much does a new build cost?
- Realistic budgets in Cornwall start around £2,800 per square metre for a good-quality build and rise quickly with bespoke joinery, large glazing, complex sites and high-spec finishes. We work to your number, not against it.
- Can you handle a self-build for me?
- Yes — from feasibility to handover. Many of our clients start as 'self-builders' on paper, then hand the actual build to us once they realise how much project management it takes.
Biscovey is part of St Austell
Biscovey sits inside the St Austell catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in St Austell →Keep reading
Where to go next from Biscovey
Biscovey is covered from our St Austell run. Being a smaller place, the local detail matters more than the headline policy: lane access, neighbour proximity and what the immediate street already looks like.
Other services in Biscovey
Nearby places we cover
Designing a new build in Biscovey is as much about reading the parish as reading the brief; we do both, and the planning outcomes follow. bungalows in particular need a tailored structural answer.
Drawings only, or the full Biscovey build? Bring the deeds, we will bring the survey kit for the new build.
Free · No obligation
Book a free visit in Biscovey
No obligation. Reply usually same working day.