North Cornwall · EX22
Whitstone 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. Anchor any Whitstone new build in the local fabric and the rest follows — Whitstone is a rural parish in the EX22 area, with farmsteads, lanes and scattered homes defining its built character, with a building stock that leans toward converted barns and scattered modern homes.
Whitstone sits in North Cornwall — covering EX22 from Bude, Stratton, Poughill outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓ 30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓ rural policy area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
Who this is for
Whitstone 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
Whitstone-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 EX22 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Whitstone New Builds — local questions answered.
- 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 Whitstone 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.
Local context
Why Whitstone is its own job.
Locally, open-countryside policy, access lanes, drainage and agricultural building history all need to be addressed before drawings go too far. 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 Whitstone projects parish-up, not template-down — the EX22 context shapes the design from day one. Whether the project is on converted barns in the centre or further out toward Bude, 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 Whitstone.
01
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
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
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
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 Whitstone 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 a North Cornwall studio is the right fit for Whitstone new build.
Building stock
Across Whitstone (EX22) we work on farmhouses, converted barns, rural cottages, smallholdings, scattered modern homes. Each stock type drives a different new build response — converted barns in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Whitstone sits in the parish of Whitstone, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a new build application.
Coverage
We cover EX22 from our studio, with regular new build jobs also running in Bude, Stratton, Poughill. Most Whitstone site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Whitstone consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a EX22 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitWhitstone is part of Bude
Whitstone sits inside the Bude catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Bude →Other services in Whitstone
Nearby places we cover
A new build in Whitstone stands or falls on how well it reads the street — we treat that as the design brief, not an afterthought.