North Cornwall · PL30 · Cornwall Council North
Washaway 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 Washaway site, the brief always meets the place — Washaway is a small rural hamlet in the PL30 area, with scattered homes, lanes and a deliberately quiet settlement pattern, with a building stock that leans toward small infill homes and converted barns.
Washaway sits in North Cornwall — just off the A39; covering PL30 from Bodmin, St Breward, Nanstallon outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓rural policy area experience built into the fee
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Free Washaway feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Who this is for
In Washaway 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.
Local watch-list
The PL30 constraints that shape a new build brief.
Watch #1
Local Plan tests on isolated dwellings, plus lane access for plant and deliveries around Washaway
Watch #2
Party Wall notices and shallow roof voids typical of cottages in the PL30 district
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
Washaway New Builds — local questions answered.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Washaway 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 Washaway are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- 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. In Washaway specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Washaway 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 Washaway and the PL30 area.
Who this is for
Why this page exists, and who it is for
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Washaway 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.
- Applications for Washaway are handled through Cornwall Council, with Bodmin the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
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
Follow the chain: survey, drawings, build
Washaway is covered from our Bodmin 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 Washaway?
Both routes are open on a PL30 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Washaway 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 PL30 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
What we can draw, survey and build around Washaway
Clients in Washaway take different slices of this list, and that is deliberate.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Local context
Why Washaway is its own job.
Locally, the main planning test is usually whether the proposal remains subordinate, locally detailed and acceptable on access, drainage and neighbour amenity. 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 Washaway projects parish-up, not template-down — the PL30 context shapes the design from day one. Whether the project is on small infill homes 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 Washaway.
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
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.
Our process
How a Washaway 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 Washaway homeowners pick a local studio for new build.
Building stock
Across Washaway (PL30) we work on cottages, farmhouses, converted barns, bungalows, small infill homes. Each stock type drives a different new build response — small infill homes in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Washaway sits in the parish of Washaway, 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, Nanstallon. Most Washaway site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Washaway 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 visitWashaway is part of Bodmin
Washaway sits inside the Bodmin catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Bodmin →Other services in Washaway
Nearby places we cover
If you're considering a new build project in the PL30 area, our deep understanding of Washaway's architectural character can help navigate the process smoothly. Applications are dealt with through Cornwall Council, with Bodmin the office we deal with most for PL30.
Start a Washaway project with us We know how cottages behave here.
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