South Cornwall · TR3
Carnon Downs new builds — a South Cornwall studio
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. Anchor any Carnon Downs new build in the local fabric and the rest follows — 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 older cottages on the village fringe.
Carnon Downs sits in South Cornwall — covering TR3 from Devoran, Playing Place, Perranwell Station outward.
- ✓ Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓ Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓ Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
Who this is for
Carnon Downs runs the full mix — owner-occupier, holiday-let, commercial and the occasional smallholding — so we scope every new build enquiry from the use-class up.
Local watch-list
Local snags worth knowing before drawing a Carnon Downs new build.
Watch #1
Parish-level character expectations that don't appear on any policy map
Local proof — Our South Cornwall workload means a Carnon Downs new build project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Carnon Downs New Builds — local questions answered.
- 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.
- 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.
Local context
Why Carnon Downs is its own job.
The planning backdrop in South Cornwall is real, not abstract: 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. Treat the TR3 parish brief as the design brief and the Carnon Downs application has somewhere to land. Whether the project is on 1960s and 1970s estates in the centre or further out toward Perranwell Station, the new build response is locally tuned.
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
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
02
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
03
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
04
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
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.
Local fabric
Why Carnon Downs homeowners pick a local studio for new build.
Building stock
Across Carnon Downs (TR3) we work on 1960s and 1970s estates, modern Persimmon-style estates, individual self-build plots, older cottages on the village fringe. Each stock type drives a different new build response — 1960s and 1970s estates in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Carnon Downs sits in the parish of Feock, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover TR3 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Devoran, Playing Place, Perranwell Station. Most Carnon Downs site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Carnon Downs consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a TR3 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitCarnon Downs is part of Devoran
Carnon Downs sits inside the Devoran catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Devoran →Other services in Carnon Downs
Nearby places we cover
A new build in Carnon Downs stands or falls on how well it reads the street — we treat that as the design brief, not an afterthought.