South Cornwall · TR3
Bespoke New Builds in Carnon Downs
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. In Carnon Downs, that work is shaped by the place itself — Carnon Downs is a substantial residential village south of Truro on the A39, with a significant late twentieth-century estate expansion and a popular village school, with a building stock that leans toward 1960s and 1970s estates and modern Persimmon-style estates.
Local context
Why Carnon Downs is its own job.
Outside Conservation Area and AONB but in close proximity to AONB to the south. Feock parish operates active input on edge-of-village sites and infill. For new build specifically, Carnon Downs sits outside the headline designations, which usually gives a slightly more flexible starting point — but parish-level character still matters. That's why we treat every Carnon Downs project as a TR3-area job first — not a generic Cornwall job with a postcode bolted on.
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.
What we focus on
New Builds considerations specific to Carnon Downs.
01
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
02
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
03
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
Our process
How a Carnon Downs 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
Carnon Downs New Builds — common questions.
- Can I build a new house on my plot in Carnon Downs?
- Sometimes yes, sometimes no — and the honest answer needs a planning policy review of the specific site. Settlement boundary, designations, access and policy on isolated dwellings all weigh in. We give a frank read at first consultation rather than a sales pitch. In Carnon Downs specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
Other services in Carnon Downs
Nearby places we cover