North Cornwall · PL30
Temple new build — feasibility first, drawings second
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 Temple site, the brief always meets the place — Temple is a moorland-edge hamlet in the PL30 area, where exposed weather, narrow lanes and rural character set the brief, with a building stock that leans toward converted barns and farm buildings.
Temple sits in North Cornwall — covering PL30 from Bodmin, St Breward, Washaway outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ rural policy area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓ Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
Who this is for
Temple 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
Temple-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — We typically have one or two new build jobs live in the PL30 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Temple New Builds — local questions answered.
- Can I build a new house on my plot in Temple?
- 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 Temple specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history 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 Temple is its own job.
Locally, rural policy, landscape impact and services such as drainage are usually the key constraints, especially outside settlement boundaries. For new build specifically, 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. Which is why we scope Temple projects parish-up, not template-down — the PL30 context shapes the design from day one. Whether the project is on converted barns in the centre or further out toward Bodmin, 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 Temple.
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
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
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 Temple 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 Temple homeowners pick a local studio for new build.
Building stock
Across Temple (PL30) we work on stone cottages, farm buildings, isolated houses, converted barns, small rural infill. Each stock type drives a different new build response — converted barns in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Temple sits in the parish of Temple, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover PL30 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Bodmin, St Breward, Washaway. Most Temple site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Temple consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a PL30 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitTemple is part of Bodmin
Temple sits inside the Bodmin catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Bodmin →Other services in Temple
Nearby places we cover
From initial feasibility to final handover, we manage new build projects across Temple with careful attention to what makes North Cornwall unique.