Lizard Peninsula · TR12 · Cornwall Council West
One studio for new build in Gunwalloe
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. Gunwalloe sits in Lizard Peninsula, and that geography ends up in the drawings — Gunwalloe is a coastal village in the TR12 area, where sea exposure, views and seasonal pressure shape most building decisions, with a building stock that leans toward replacement dwellings and rendered coastal houses.
Gunwalloe sits in Lizard Peninsula — just off the A394; covering TR12 from Mullion, Cury, Predannack outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to Lizard Peninsula — not a national franchise
- ✓Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
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Free Gunwalloe 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 Gunwalloe?
Both routes are open on a TR12 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Gunwalloe 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 TR12 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Scope options for Gunwalloe clients
These stages can be bought separately. Most TR12 projects use three of them.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
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.
Local watch-list
Common Gunwalloe pitfalls we plan around.
Watch #1
Conservation Area controls on materials, window proportions and roof form through central Gunwalloe
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across Lizard Peninsula
Watch #3
Exposure detailing on granite cottages — fixings, render systems and joinery specified for salt-laden air
Watch #4
Party Wall notices and shallow roof voids typical of granite cottages in the TR12 district
Who this is for
Straight facts about working with us here
- Applications for Gunwalloe are handled through Cornwall Council, with Truro 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 Gunwalloe.
01
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
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
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
04
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Gunwalloe 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 Gunwalloe and the TR12 area.
Local context
Why Gunwalloe is its own job.
Two things shape a Gunwalloe application: parish character and policy. On policy — coastal setting and landscape sensitivity mean rooflines, glazing, drainage and external materials need careful handling from the first sketch. For new build specifically, parts of Gunwalloe sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; 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 Gunwalloe drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. Get that local reading right and the rest of the Gunwalloe programme tends to run on time. On replacement dwellings in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Truro — 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 Gunwalloe 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
Gunwalloe 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 Gunwalloe specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary 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 Gunwalloe 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 Gunwalloe are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
Gunwalloe is part of Mullion
Gunwalloe sits inside the Mullion catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Mullion →Keep reading
Where to go next from Gunwalloe
Gunwalloe is covered from our Mullion 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 Gunwalloe
Nearby places we cover
The new build jobs we're proudest of in Gunwalloe are the ones where the planning route was clear before a single elevation was drawn. For the final position on any address, Cornwall Council or the Planning Portal is the place to confirm it.
Drawings only, or the full Gunwalloe build? Bring the deeds, we will bring the survey kit for the new build.
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