Mid Cornwall · TR3
Stithians new builds — a Mid Cornwall studio
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. On a Stithians site, the brief always meets the place — Stithians is a village south of Redruth with the Stithians Reservoir nearby, a Norman church and a Conservation Area covering the village core, with a building stock that leans toward barn conversions and traditional granite cottages.
Stithians sits in Mid Cornwall — covering TR3 from Ponsanooth, Constantine, Mabe Burnthouse outward.
- Conservation Area
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓ Conservation Area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Measured-survey accuracy from day one
Who this is for
Stithians 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
The TR3 constraints that shape a new build brief.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Stithians
Watch #2
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — Most Stithians new build clients we work with are second-time builders — they've seen the templated approach fail once already.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Stithians New Builds — local questions answered.
- Can I build a new house on my plot in Stithians?
- 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. In Stithians specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary 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.
- 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.
- 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 Stithians is its own job.
The planning backdrop in Mid Cornwall is real, not abstract: conservation Area covers the village core. Reservoir SSSI to the south and A39 corridor shape edge-of-village development. For new build specifically, parts of Stithians sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; 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. Treat the TR3 parish brief as the design brief and the Stithians application has somewhere to land. Whether the project is on barn conversions in the centre or further out toward Ponsanooth, the new build response is locally tuned.
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 Stithians.
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
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
04
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
Our process
How a Stithians 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
Choosing a new build team that actually knows TR3.
Building stock
Across Stithians (TR3) we work on traditional granite cottages, Victorian villas, post-war bungalows, modern small estates, barn conversions. Each stock type drives a different new build response — barn conversions in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Stithians is its own town in Mid Cornwall, with planning history that's specific to the TR3 catchment.
Coverage
We cover TR3 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Ponsanooth, Constantine, Mabe Burnthouse. Most Stithians site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Stithians consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a TR3 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitOther services in Stithians
Nearby places we cover
From initial feasibility to final handover, we manage new build projects across Stithians with careful attention to what makes Mid Cornwall unique.