East Cornwall · PL14
New Builds Duloe: PL14 planning, East Cornwall fabric
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 PL14 plot rarely works elsewhere — Duloe is a rural parish in the PL14 area, with farmsteads, lanes and scattered homes defining its built character, with a building stock that leans toward scattered modern homes and smallholdings.
Duloe sits in East Cornwall — covering PL14 from Looe, Herodsfoot, Lanreath outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ rural policy area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓ 30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓ Local to East Cornwall — not a national franchise
Local proof — We typically have one or two new build jobs live in the PL14 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewLocal context
Why Duloe is its own job.
Open-countryside policy, access lanes, drainage and agricultural building history all need to be addressed before drawings go too far. That sets the scene before any design work begins. 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. It's the kind of detail that decides whether a Duloe application gets approved at eight weeks or stalls in committee. The scattered modern homes that dominate Duloe (and continue out toward Lanreath) 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 Duloe.
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.
04
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
Our process
How a Duloe 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
Choosing a new build team that actually knows PL14.
Building stock
Across Duloe (PL14) we work on farmhouses, converted barns, rural cottages, smallholdings, scattered modern homes. Each stock type drives a different new build response — scattered modern homes in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Duloe sits in the parish of Duloe, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover PL14 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Looe, Herodsfoot, Lanreath. Most Duloe site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Duloe site?
Usually within the same week. Duloe (PL14) is on our regular East Cornwall run, alongside Looe, Herodsfoot, Lanreath. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitFAQs
Duloe New Builds — local questions answered.
- 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. In Duloe specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Duloe is part of Looe
Duloe sits inside the Looe catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Looe →Other services in Duloe
Nearby places we cover
Designing a new build in Duloe is as much about reading the parish as reading the brief; we do both, and the planning outcomes follow.