North Cornwall · EX23
Marhamchurch new builds — a North Cornwall 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 Marhamchurch, that work is shaped by the place itself — Marhamchurch is a rural parish in the EX23 area, with farmsteads, lanes and scattered homes defining its built character, with a building stock that leans toward scattered modern homes and smallholdings.
Marhamchurch sits in North Cornwall — covering EX23 from Bude, Stratton, Poughill outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓ Local to North Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
Who this is for
Marhamchurch 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
The EX23 constraints that shape a new build brief.
Watch #1
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — We typically have one or two new build jobs live in the EX23 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Marhamchurch 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 Marhamchurch specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history 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 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.
Local context
Why Marhamchurch is its own job.
The planning backdrop in North Cornwall is real, not abstract: 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. Treat the EX23 parish brief as the design brief and the Marhamchurch application has somewhere to land. Whether the project is on scattered modern homes in the centre or further out toward Bude, 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 Marhamchurch.
01
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
02
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
03
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
04
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
Our process
How a Marhamchurch 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 a North Cornwall studio is the right fit for Marhamchurch new build.
Building stock
Across Marhamchurch (EX23) we work on farmhouses, converted barns, rural cottages, smallholdings, scattered modern homes. Each stock type drives a different new build response — scattered modern homes in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Marhamchurch sits in the parish of Marhamchurch, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover EX23 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Bude, Stratton, Poughill. Most Marhamchurch site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Marhamchurch consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a EX23 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitMarhamchurch is part of Bude
Marhamchurch sits inside the Bude catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Bude →Other services in Marhamchurch
Nearby places we cover
The new build jobs we're proudest of in Marhamchurch are the ones where the planning route was clear before a single elevation was drawn.