Penwith · TR19
One studio for new build in Treen
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. Working in Treen means starting from the TR19 context — Treen is a coastal village in the TR19 area, where sea exposure, views and seasonal pressure shape most building decisions, with a building stock that leans toward rendered coastal houses and bungalows.
Treen sits in Penwith — covering TR19 from St Buryan, Truro, St Austell outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
- ✓ Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓ Local to Penwith — not a national franchise
Our process
How a Treen 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 proof — Most Treen new build clients we work with are second-time builders — they've seen the templated approach fail once already.
Get a free feasibility viewWhat we focus on
New Builds considerations specific to Treen.
01
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
02
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
03
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
04
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
Local context
Why Treen is its own job.
Two things shape a Treen application: parish character and policy. On policy — 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 Treen drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. Get that local reading right and the rest of the Treen programme tends to run on time. On rendered coastal houses in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Newquay — 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.
Local watch-list
What usually catches new build projects out in Treen.
Watch #1
AONB landscape-impact scrutiny on visible elevations
Watch #2
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Treen is part of St Buryan
Treen sits inside the St Buryan catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in St Buryan →Local fabric
What sets a Treen new build brief apart.
Building stock
Across Treen (TR19) we work on granite cottages, rendered coastal houses, holiday homes, bungalows, replacement dwellings. Each stock type drives a different new build response — rendered coastal houses in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Treen sits in the parish of Treen, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover TR19 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in St Buryan, Truro, St Austell. Most Treen site visits get booked within the same week.
Can you handle both planning and build in Treen?
Yes — design, planning, building regs and full construction run under one roof. For clients with an existing Treen builder we can stop at a tender-ready Full Plans pack instead.
Request a free visitWho this is for
Treen 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.
FAQs
Treen 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 Treen specifically, we'd start by checking AONB landscape sensitivity before committing to a direction.
- 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.
Other services in Treen
Nearby places we cover
If you're balancing ambition against TR19 planning realism, our Treen new build work threads that needle without the usual drama.