North Cornwall · EX23
Bespoke New Builds in Poughill
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. Reading Poughill on the ground is half of the new build job — Poughill is a coastal village in the EX23 area, where sea exposure, views and seasonal pressure shape most building decisions, with a building stock that leans toward rendered coastal houses and bungalows.
Poughill sits in North Cornwall — covering EX23 from Bude, Stratton, Flexbury outward.
- Conservation Area
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓ Local to North Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
- ✓ Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
Local watch-list
What usually catches new build projects out in Poughill.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Poughill
Watch #2
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Who this is for
Poughill 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 Poughill is its own job.
Coastal setting and landscape sensitivity mean rooflines, glazing, drainage and external materials need careful handling from the first sketch. For new build specifically, parts of Poughill sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; coastal salt-laden air around Poughill drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. So every Poughill job runs as a EX23-specific piece of work — local policy, local fabric, local builders. Most of our new build work in Poughill lands on rendered coastal houses, with detailing that has to nod to the wider Stratton 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 Poughill.
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
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
03
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
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 Poughill 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
Poughill 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 Poughill specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary 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.
Poughill is part of Bude
Poughill sits inside the Bude catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Bude →Local proof — Recent new build enquiries from Poughill have clustered around rendered coastal houses — we know the route through Cornwall Council on these.
Get a free feasibility viewOther services in Poughill
Nearby places we cover
On a Poughill site the success of a new build is decided in week one — by reading the constraints right, not by drawing them away.