West Cornwall · TR20 · Cornwall Council West
Design, planning and build for Crowlas new build
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. What works on a TR20 plot rarely works elsewhere — Crowlas is a commuter village in the TR20 area, with everyday family housing, edge-of-village plots and quick routes to its parent town, with a building stock that leans toward older cottages and modern estates.
Crowlas sits in West Cornwall — just off the A30; covering TR20 from Penzance, Chyandour, Sancreed outward.
- Cornish Mining World Heritage Site
- ✓World Heritage Site experience built into the fee
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to West Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
Free · No obligation
Free Crowlas feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Local proof — Most Crowlas new build clients we work with are second-time builders — they've seen the templated approach fail once already.
Get a free feasibility viewLocal context
Why Crowlas is its own job.
Cornwall Council's lens on Crowlas is consistent: applications here usually turn on neighbour amenity, parking, overlooking and whether new work fits the rhythm of existing streets. For new build specifically, the wider area forms part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, which adds a heritage assessment layer to most material changes. That's why we treat every Crowlas project as a TR20-area job first — not a generic Cornwall job with a postcode bolted on. The older cottages that dominate Crowlas (and continue out toward Sancreed) set the tone for any new build scheme here.
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 Crowlas.
01
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
02
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
03
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
04
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
Keep reading
Related TR20 pages
Crowlas is covered from our Penzance 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.
Who this is for
Our footing in West 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 new build enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Crowlas 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.
Scope
Where our work starts and stops on a TR20 project
Clients in Crowlas take different slices of this list, and that is deliberate.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Crowlas?
Both routes are open on a TR20 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Crowlas 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 TR20 scope, not as one opaque figure
Our process
How a Crowlas 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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Crowlas 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 Crowlas and the TR20 area.
Local fabric
Choosing a new build team that actually knows TR20.
Building stock
Across Crowlas (TR20) we work on post-war semis, bungalows, modern estates, older cottages, garden infill plots. Each stock type drives a different new build response — older cottages in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Crowlas sits in the parish of Crowlas, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover TR20 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Penzance, Chyandour, Sancreed. Most Crowlas site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Crowlas site?
Usually within the same week. Crowlas (TR20) is on our regular West Cornwall run, alongside Penzance, Chyandour, Sancreed. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitFAQs
Crowlas New Builds — local questions answered.
- 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. In Crowlas 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 I build a new house on my plot in Cornwall?
- 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.
- 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.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Crowlas 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 Crowlas are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- 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.
Crowlas is part of Penzance
Crowlas sits inside the Penzance catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Penzance →Other services in Crowlas
Nearby places we cover
A new build in Crowlas stands or falls on how well it reads the street — we treat that as the design brief, not an afterthought. Mining-landscape visibility adds a heritage layer worth budgeting for.
Book a site visit in the TR20 area Truro handles the planning end for TR20.
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Book a free visit in Crowlas
No obligation. Reply usually same working day.