North Cornwall · TR5 · Cornwall Council North
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 — just off the A39; 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
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Free Trevellas feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Local watch-list
The TR5 constraints that shape a new build brief.
Watch #1
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across North Cornwall
Watch #2
World Heritage Site heritage assessment where changes are visible in the mining landscape
Watch #3
Exposure detailing on granite cottages — fixings, render systems and joinery specified for salt-laden air
Watch #4
Party Wall notices and shallow roof voids typical of granite cottages in the TR5 district
Who this is for
In Trevellas 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.
Scope
The parts of the job we can take on in Trevellas
Not every project needs every stage. On a Trevellas job we scope to what the site and the consent route actually require.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Heritage and design statements
Written justification where designation makes the design case as important as the drawing.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Who this is for
What we can genuinely back up in Trevellas
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Trevellas questions has seen the detail built.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a new build enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Designated-area work is routine here, so heritage and landscape statements are produced alongside the drawings rather than outsourced.
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.
Keep reading
Other work we do around Trevellas
Trevellas is covered from our St Agnes run. Being a smaller place, the local detail matters more than the headline policy: lane access, neighbour proximity and what the immediate street already looks like.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Trevellas?
Both routes are open on a TR5 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Trevellas 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 TR5 scope, not as one opaque figure
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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Trevellas 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.
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Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Trevellas and the TR5 area.
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.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Trevellas 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 Trevellas are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
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
If you're considering a new build project in the TR5 area, our deep understanding of Trevellas's architectural character can help navigate the process smoothly. Parish-level consultation in Trevellas is worth planning for, not reacting to.
Let's talk about your Trevellas property Drawings now, build later, is a perfectly normal route.
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