South Cornwall · PL24
Design, planning and build for Menabilly new build
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. What works on a PL24 plot rarely works elsewhere — Menabilly is an estate-influenced village in the PL24 area, with designed landscape, older cottages and rural edges close together, with a building stock that leans toward farm buildings and estate cottages.
Menabilly sits in South Cornwall — covering PL24 from Fowey, Golant, Bodinnick outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ AONB experience built into the fee
- ✓ Local to South Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
Local proof — Most Menabilly homeowners come to us after a new build quote elsewhere felt vague on planning — we lead with feasibility instead.
Get a free feasibility viewLocal context
Why Menabilly is its own job.
Cornwall Council's lens on Menabilly is consistent: landscape setting, curtilage history and estate character need a precise design rationale rather than a standard suburban approach. For new build specifically, 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 Menabilly drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. That's why we treat every Menabilly project as a PL24-area job first — not a generic Cornwall job with a postcode bolted on. The farm buildings that dominate Menabilly (and continue out toward Bodinnick) set the tone for any new build scheme here.
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 Menabilly.
01
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
02
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
03
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
04
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
Our process
How a Menabilly 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 Menabilly homeowners pick a local studio for new build.
Building stock
Across Menabilly (PL24) we work on estate cottages, farm buildings, detached homes, converted outbuildings, small infill plots. Each stock type drives a different new build response — farm buildings in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Menabilly sits in the parish of Menabilly, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover PL24 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Fowey, Golant, Bodinnick. Most Menabilly site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Menabilly site?
Usually within the same week. Menabilly (PL24) is on our regular South Cornwall run, alongside Fowey, Golant, Bodinnick. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitFAQs
Menabilly 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 Menabilly specifically, we'd start by checking AONB landscape sensitivity before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
Menabilly is part of Fowey
Menabilly sits inside the Fowey catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Fowey →Other services in Menabilly
Nearby places we cover
Designing a new build in Menabilly is as much about reading the parish as reading the brief; we do both, and the planning outcomes follow.