Mid Cornwall · PL30
Bespoke New Builds in Lanlivery
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. A Lanlivery brief starts on the street, not the screen — Lanlivery is a rural parish in the PL30 area, with farmsteads, lanes and scattered homes defining its built character, with a building stock that leans toward converted barns and smallholdings.
Lanlivery sits in Mid Cornwall — covering PL30 from Lostwithiel, Lerryn, St Winnow outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Local to Mid Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
- ✓ Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓ Measured-survey accuracy from day one
Local watch-list
Local snags worth knowing before drawing a Lanlivery new build.
Watch #1
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Who this is for
Lanlivery 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 context
Why Lanlivery is its own job.
Open-countryside policy, access lanes, drainage and agricultural building history all need to be addressed before drawings go too far. 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. So every Lanlivery job runs as a PL30-specific piece of work — local policy, local fabric, local builders. Most of our new build work in Lanlivery lands on converted barns, with detailing that has to nod to the wider Lerryn streetscape.
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 Lanlivery.
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.
Our process
How a Lanlivery 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
Lanlivery New Builds — local questions answered.
- 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. In Lanlivery specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Lanlivery is part of Lostwithiel
Lanlivery sits inside the Lostwithiel catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Lostwithiel →Local proof — We typically have one or two new build jobs live in the PL30 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewOther services in Lanlivery
Nearby places we cover
For Lanlivery homeowners weighing up a new build, the right starting point is honest feasibility — that's what we lead with, before any drawings.