South Cornwall · PL24 · Cornwall Council Central
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 — just off the A39; covering PL24 from Fowey, Golant, Bodinnick outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓Cornwall Council Central sub-area regulars
- ✓AONB experience built into the fee
- ✓Local to South Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
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Free Menabilly feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
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.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Menabilly?
Both routes are open on a PL24 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Menabilly clients take the drawings, tender them locally, then come back to us for the build if the numbers do not stack up.
- Route one: feasibility, planning and a tender-ready technical pack
- Route two: the same pack, then the build under one contract
- Either way the survey and feasibility work is identical, so the decision can wait
- Fees quoted per stage against the PL24 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Where our work starts and stops on a PL24 project
Not every project needs every stage. On a Menabilly job we scope to what the site and the consent route actually require.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Heritage and design statements
Written justification where designation makes the design case as important as the drawing.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Who this is for
Our footing in South Cornwall
- Designated-area work is routine here, so heritage and landscape statements are produced alongside the drawings rather than outsourced.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a new build enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Menabilly questions has seen the detail built.
Planning rules change and every site is different. For the final position on your address, check with Cornwall Council as the local planning authority or the Planning Portal.
Keep reading
Related PL24 pages
Menabilly is covered from our Fowey run. Being a smaller place, the local detail matters more than the headline policy: lane access, neighbour proximity and what the immediate street already looks like.
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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Menabilly project is worth pursuing?
Send a few details — we'll come back within 1 working day with a plain-English view on planning risk, likely cost band and whether it's a project we'd take on.
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Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Menabilly and the PL24 area.
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.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Menabilly be done while we stay put?
- Usually yes for single-storey and rear work, with a temporary kitchen or bathroom arrangement agreed before the start. Whole-house remodels and roof work in Menabilly are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- 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
Whichever route suits your PL24 project, the survey and feasibility work is the same, so nothing is wasted. Exposure detailing is a spec decision, not a finish decision, on this coast.
Get the PL24 planning view before you draw Truro handles the planning end for PL24.
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