Penwith · TR20
Madron new builds — a Penwith studio
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 Madron, that work is shaped by the place itself — Madron is the parish village above Penzance with the medieval church (Penzance's mother church) and a strong inland Penwith character, with a building stock that leans toward traditional granite cottages and Georgian rectory-style houses.
Madron sits in Penwith — covering TR20 from Heamoor, Penzance outward.
- Conservation Area
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Conservation Area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
Who this is for
Madron 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
Madron-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Madron
Watch #2
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — Most Madron homeowners come to us after a new build quote elsewhere felt vague on planning — we lead with feasibility instead.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Madron 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 Madron specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Local context
Why Madron is its own job.
The planning backdrop in Penwith is real, not abstract: conservation Area covers the village core including the church; AONB lies immediately to the north and west. Active parish council with detailed input on infill and replacement applications. For new build specifically, parts of Madron sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; 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. Treat the TR20 parish brief as the design brief and the Madron application has somewhere to land. Whether the project is on traditional granite cottages in the centre or further out toward Heamoor, 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 Madron.
01
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
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
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
04
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
Our process
How a Madron 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
Why Madron homeowners pick a local studio for new build.
Building stock
Across Madron (TR20) we work on traditional granite cottages, Georgian rectory-style houses, Victorian villas, modern infill bungalows, barn conversions. Each stock type drives a different new build response — traditional granite cottages in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Madron is its own town in Penwith, with planning history that's specific to the TR20 catchment.
Coverage
We cover TR20 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Heamoor, Penzance. Most Madron site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Madron consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a TR20 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitOther services in Madron
Nearby places we cover
The new build jobs we're proudest of in Madron are the ones where the planning route was clear before a single elevation was drawn.