Lizard Peninsula · TR12
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 — 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
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.
Local proof — Our Lizard Peninsula workload means a Gunwalloe new build project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
Get a free feasibility viewWhat 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.
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.
Local watch-list
Common Gunwalloe pitfalls we plan around.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Gunwalloe
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact scrutiny on visible elevations
Watch #3
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Gunwalloe is part of Mullion
Gunwalloe sits inside the Mullion catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Mullion →Local fabric
One TR12 studio, one new build job — start to finish.
Building stock
Across Gunwalloe (TR12) we work on granite cottages, rendered coastal houses, holiday homes, bungalows, replacement dwellings. Each stock type drives a different new build response — replacement dwellings in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Gunwalloe sits in the parish of Gunwalloe, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover TR12 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Mullion, Cury, Predannack. Most Gunwalloe site visits get booked within the same week.
Can you handle both planning and build in Gunwalloe?
Yes — design, planning, building regs and full construction run under one roof. For clients with an existing Gunwalloe builder we can stop at a tender-ready Full Plans pack instead.
Request a free visitWho this is for
Gunwalloe 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.
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.
Other services in Gunwalloe
Nearby places we cover
Every Gunwalloe new build we work on is treated as a TR12 job in its own right — local fabric, local policy, local builders.