North Cornwall · EX23 · Cornwall Council North
New Builds for Poundstock (EX23)
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. The way we approach new build in Poundstock starts with a measured walk-round — Poundstock 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 holiday homes and replacement dwellings.
Poundstock sits in North Cornwall — just off the A39; covering EX23 from Bude, Stratton, Poughill outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
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Free Poundstock feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Poundstock?
Both routes are open on a EX23 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Poundstock 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 EX23 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Scope options for Poundstock clients
Clients in Poundstock take different slices of this list, and that is deliberate.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Heritage and design statements
Written justification where designation makes the design case as important as the drawing.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Local watch-list
Poundstock-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across North Cornwall
Watch #2
Exposure detailing on granite cottages — fixings, render systems and joinery specified for salt-laden air
Watch #3
Party Wall notices and shallow roof voids typical of granite cottages in the EX23 district
Who this is for
Straight facts about working with us here
- Applications for Poundstock are handled through Cornwall Council, with Bodmin the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
- 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.
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.
What we focus on
New Builds considerations specific to Poundstock.
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
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
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Poundstock 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 Poundstock and the EX23 area.
Local context
Why Poundstock is its own job.
In Poundstock the planning picture is specific: coastal setting and landscape sensitivity mean rooflines, glazing, drainage and external materials need careful handling from the first sketch. 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 Poundstock drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. That local reading is what makes a Poundstock (EX23) project different from a generic Cornwall scheme — and is the whole reason we work this way. On holiday homes in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Flexbury — the new build brief always has to read the existing fabric first.
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.
Our process
How a Poundstock 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
Poundstock 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 Poundstock specifically, we'd start by checking AONB landscape sensitivity before committing to a direction.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Poundstock 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 Poundstock are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Poundstock is part of Bude
Poundstock sits inside the Bude catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Bude →Keep reading
Where to go next from Poundstock
Poundstock is covered from our Bude 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.
Other services in Poundstock
Nearby places we cover
In short: take the drawings and run your own build in Poundstock, or keep it under one contract. Both routes start the same way. rendered coastal houses in particular need a tailored structural answer.
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