Penwith · TR19 · Cornwall Council West
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 — just off the A30; covering TR19 from St Just in Penwith, Porthcurno outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓Cornwall Council West sub-area regulars
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to Penwith — not a national franchise
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
Free · No obligation
Free Sennen feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Who this is for
In Sennen the new build brief is almost always a private homeowner improving a forever home — so we lead with feasibility and long-term value, not show-home rhetoric.
Local watch-list
Sennen-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
Conservation Area controls on materials, window proportions and roof form through central Sennen
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across Penwith
Watch #3
Exposure detailing on granite cliff cottages — fixings, render systems and joinery specified for salt-laden air
Watch #4
Local Plan tests on isolated dwellings, plus lane access for plant and deliveries around Sennen
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.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Sennen 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 Sennen are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- 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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Sennen 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.
Free · No obligation
Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Sennen and the TR19 area.
Keep reading
Related TR19 pages
Sennen works as a hub for us: the same new build team covers Porthcurno, Escalls and the surrounding TR19 villages, so a site visit here often takes in more than one address.
Who this is for
Our footing in Penwith
- 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 Sennen 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.
Scope
Where our work starts and stops on a TR19 project
Clients in Sennen take different slices of this list, and that is deliberate.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Sennen?
Both routes are open on a TR19 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Sennen 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 TR19 scope, not as one opaque figure
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
- Escalls
TR19
Other services in Sennen
Nearby places we cover
Local neighbourhoods in Sennen
To sum up, our new build approach in Sennen is built entirely around local Cornwall context, ensuring the best possible outcome for your property. Applications are dealt with through Cornwall Council, with Truro the office we deal with most for TR19.
Book a site visit in the TR19 area Truro handles the planning end for TR19.
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Book a free visit in Sennen
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