North Cornwall · TR5
New Builds that reads Trevellas properly
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. Reading Trevellas on the ground is half of the new build job — Trevellas is a coastal village in the TR5 area, where sea exposure, views and seasonal pressure shape most building decisions, with a building stock that leans toward granite cottages and holiday homes.
Trevellas sits in North Cornwall — covering TR5 from St Agnes, Mount Hawke, Mithian outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Cornish Mining World Heritage Site
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓ Local to North Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
- ✓ Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
Local watch-list
The TR5 constraints that shape a new build brief.
Watch #1
AONB landscape-impact scrutiny on visible elevations
Watch #2
World Heritage Site assessment on changes visible in the mining landscape
Watch #3
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Who this is for
Trevellas 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 context
Why Trevellas is its own job.
Around Trevellas (TR5), 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; the wider area forms part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, which adds a heritage assessment layer to most material changes; coastal salt-laden air around Trevellas drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. Reading Trevellas properly up front saves more time than any drawing tool ever will. Most of our new build work in Trevellas lands on granite cottages, with detailing that has to nod to the wider Mount Hawke streetscape.
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 Trevellas.
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
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
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
Our process
How a Trevellas 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.
FAQs
Trevellas 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 Trevellas 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 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.
- 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.
Trevellas is part of St Agnes
Trevellas sits inside the St Agnes catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in St Agnes →Local proof — Recent new build enquiries from Trevellas have clustered around granite cottages — we know the route through Cornwall Council on these.
Get a free feasibility viewOther services in Trevellas
Nearby places we cover
On a Trevellas site the success of a new build is decided in week one — by reading the constraints right, not by drawing them away.