Mid Cornwall · PL26
Foxhole new build — feasibility first, drawings second
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 Foxhole, that work is shaped by the place itself — Foxhole is a china-clay village in the PL26 area, with workers housing, industrial landscape and practical family homes forming the local pattern, with a building stock that leans toward workers cottages and bungalows.
Foxhole sits in Mid Cornwall — covering PL26 from St Austell, Bugle, St Dennis outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ rural policy area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓ Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
Who this is for
Foxhole 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
Common Foxhole pitfalls we plan around.
Watch #1
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — We typically have one or two new build jobs live in the PL26 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Foxhole 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 Foxhole specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Local context
Why Foxhole is its own job.
Locally, ground conditions, drainage, former industrial land and simple robust materials tend to shape the design and technical brief. 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. Which is why we scope Foxhole projects parish-up, not template-down — the PL26 context shapes the design from day one. Whether the project is on workers cottages in the centre or further out toward St Austell, 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 Foxhole.
01
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
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
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.
Our process
How a Foxhole 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 PL26.
Building stock
Across Foxhole (PL26) we work on workers cottages, terraced houses, post-war estates, bungalows, former industrial plots. Each stock type drives a different new build response — workers cottages in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Foxhole sits in the parish of Foxhole, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover PL26 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in St Austell, Bugle, St Dennis. Most Foxhole site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Foxhole consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a PL26 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitFoxhole is part of St Austell
Foxhole sits inside the St Austell catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in St Austell →Other services in Foxhole
Nearby places we cover
The new build jobs we're proudest of in Foxhole are the ones where the planning route was clear before a single elevation was drawn.