East Cornwall · PL11 · Cornwall Council East
New Builds for Downderry (PL11)
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 Downderry means starting from the PL11 context — Downderry is a holiday-coast settlement in the PL11 area, with strong second-home demand and exposed coastal building conditions, with a building stock that leans toward second homes and replacement dwellings.
Downderry sits in East Cornwall — just off the A38; covering PL11 from Looe, Duloe, Herodsfoot outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to East Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
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Free Downderry 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 Downderry?
Both routes are open on a PL11 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Downderry 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 PL11 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Scope options for Downderry clients
Not every project needs every stage. On a Downderry 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.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Local watch-list
Local snags worth knowing before drawing a Downderry new build.
Watch #1
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across East Cornwall
Watch #2
Exposure detailing on coastal bungalows — fixings, render systems and joinery specified for salt-laden air
Watch #3
Trussed roofs and shallow foundations in the later PL11 estates, which change the structural strategy
Who this is for
Straight facts about working with us here
- Applications for Downderry are handled through Cornwall Council, with Liskeard the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
- 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.
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 Downderry.
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
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
03
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
04
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Downderry 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 Downderry and the PL11 area.
Local context
Why Downderry is its own job.
In Downderry the planning picture is specific: planning scrutiny often focuses on visual impact, occupancy, parking, overlooking and whether replacement buildings respect the coastal edge. For new build specifically, the surrounding landscape falls inside the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so massing, height and landscape impact carry extra weight in any planning decision; coastal salt-laden air around Downderry drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. That local reading is what makes a Downderry (PL11) project different from a generic Cornwall scheme — and is the whole reason we work this way. On second homes in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Lanreath — 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 Downderry 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
Downderry New Builds — local questions answered.
- 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. In Downderry specifically, we'd start by checking AONB landscape sensitivity before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Downderry 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 Downderry are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
Downderry is part of Looe
Downderry sits inside the Looe catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Looe →Keep reading
Where to go next from Downderry
Downderry is covered from our Looe 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 Downderry
Nearby places we cover
The PL11 stretch of East Cornwall has its own rhythm; our new build work respects it, and Cornwall Council usually responds in kind. Landscape impact is the deciding test on most visible plots around here.
Ready to discuss your project in Downderry? We are on the A38 regularly.
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