Penwith · TR19
Design, planning and build for Sennen 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 TR19 plot rarely works elsewhere — Sennen is the most westerly mainland village, on the cliffs above Sennen Cove and the white-sand beach of Whitesand Bay, AONB-designated and entirely within Heritage Coast, with a building stock that leans toward 1960s coastal bungalows and Edwardian guesthouses.
Sennen sits in Penwith — covering TR19 from St Just in Penwith, Porthcurno outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓ Local to Penwith — not a national franchise
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
Who this is for
Sennen 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
Sennen-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Sennen
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact scrutiny on visible elevations
Watch #3
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Watch #4
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — Most Sennen homeowners come to us after a new build quote elsewhere felt vague on planning — we lead with feasibility instead.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Sennen New Builds — local questions answered.
- 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. In Sennen specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary 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.
- 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.
- 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 Sennen is its own job.
Cornwall Council's lens on Sennen is consistent: conservation Area covers Sennen churchtown and the cove; AONB and Heritage Coast across the parish. Cliff-edge sites face strict controls on materials and ridge heights. For new build specifically, parts of Sennen sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; 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 Sennen drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure; 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. That's why we treat every Sennen project as a TR19-area job first — not a generic Cornwall job with a postcode bolted on. The 1960s coastal bungalows that dominate Sennen (and continue out toward St Just in Penwith) 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 Sennen.
01
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
02
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
03
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
04
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
Our process
How a Sennen 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 Sennen homeowners pick a local studio for new build.
Building stock
Across Sennen (TR19) we work on granite cliff cottages, Edwardian guesthouses, 1960s coastal bungalows, modern AONB-sensitive replacement dwellings. Each stock type drives a different new build response — 1960s coastal bungalows in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Sennen is its own town in Penwith, with planning history that's specific to the TR19 catchment.
Coverage
We cover TR19 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in St Just in Penwith, Porthcurno, St Buryan. Most Sennen site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Sennen site?
Usually within the same week. Sennen (TR19) is on our regular Penwith run, alongside St Just in Penwith, Porthcurno, St Buryan. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitSennen is the hub for these neighbourhoods
We run new builds across Sennen and the surrounding TR19 neighbourhoods — same studio, same site team.
- Porthcurno
TR19
Other services in Sennen
Nearby places we cover
Local neighbourhoods in Sennen
Designing a new build in Sennen is as much about reading the parish as reading the brief; we do both, and the planning outcomes follow.