Cornwall is entering an important period for planning, architecture and development.
With demand for new homes increasing and a new Cornwall Local Plan being prepared, the next few years could bring significant opportunities for landowners, developers, housing providers and communities across Cornwall.
For anyone thinking about developing land, building a new home or bringing forward a larger residential scheme, understanding the changing planning landscape will be increasingly important.
At Co Create Architects, our team works across Cornwall from our Newquay studio, helping clients explore sites, understand their potential and develop well designed proposals that respond to their setting.
A growing need for new homes in Cornwall
Housing is one of the biggest challenges facing Cornwall.
The Government’s revised housing requirement is around 4,421 new homes per year across Cornwall, a significant increase from the 2,707 homes previously planned for under the current Cornwall Local Plan.
This creates both a challenge and an opportunity.
Cornwall needs more homes, but simply increasing numbers is not enough. New development needs to respond to local communities, infrastructure, landscape, heritage and the distinct character of Cornwall’s towns and villages.
Good architecture and good planning need to work together.
The Cornwall Local Plan 2050
Cornwall Council is now preparing a new Local Plan which will guide how Cornwall develops over the coming decades.
The Cornwall Local Plan 2050 will ultimately influence where development takes place and the principles against which future proposals are assessed.
It will consider much more than housing, covering employment, town centres, schools, healthcare, transport, energy and green infrastructure.
For developers and landowners, this makes it particularly important to understand the wider context of a site rather than looking at the site in isolation.
Could land in Cornwall have development potential?
One of the first questions we are often asked is whether a site has potential for development.
There is rarely a simple answer.
Location, access, landscape, ecology, heritage, neighbouring properties, existing buildings, local planning policy and infrastructure can all influence what might be achievable.
This is why early feasibility work can be valuable.
Before committing significant money to a project, an architect can explore different ways a site might be developed and identify some of the opportunities and constraints.
For residential development in Cornwall, this could include anything from a single new dwelling or replacement home through to several houses, apartments or a larger housing development.
Designing homes that belong in Cornwall
Cornwall has an extraordinary architectural and landscape character.
From Newquay, Padstow and Wadebridge on the north coast to Truro, Falmouth, St Austell and communities further west, there is no single architectural response that works everywhere.
Successful development should respond to its place.
That does not mean new buildings have to imitate the past. Contemporary architecture can sit comfortably within Cornwall when scale, form, materials, landscape and local character are properly understood.
For us, good design starts with understanding the site.
The orientation of buildings, views, levels, neighbouring properties, existing landscape and local materials can all help shape an architectural response that feels appropriate to its location.
Sustainability and planning in Cornwall
Energy use and climate resilience are also becoming increasingly important parts of the planning process.
Cornwall’s Climate Emergency Development Plan Document already forms part of the development plan and places greater emphasis on matters including energy performance, renewable energy, biodiversity, green infrastructure and climate resilience.
These requirements are best thought about from the beginning of a project rather than added later.
Building orientation, glazing, form, materials and landscaping can all have a significant impact on the energy performance of a building.
A well designed scheme should therefore bring architecture, sustainability and planning together from the outset.
Working with an architect in Cornwall
Engaging an architect early can help establish what is realistically achievable before a design becomes too developed.
At Co Create Architects, we can help with early site appraisals and feasibility studies before progressing through concept design, planning, technical design and construction.
Our work covers individual homes, residential developments, affordable housing, healthcare, community, commercial and heritage projects.
Most importantly, we understand that every site and every client is different.
Our role is not simply to draw a building. It is to understand what you are trying to achieve, identify the opportunities within the site and develop a design that balances ambition with the practical realities of planning, budget and construction.
Architects in Newquay working across Cornwall
Our Newquay studio gives Co Create Architects a permanent base in Cornwall, supporting both new and existing clients across the county.
From Newquay and the north Cornwall coast to Truro, Falmouth, St Austell and further afield, our team can help with projects at every scale.
Whether you are looking at a piece of land and wondering what could be achieved, planning a new home, considering the redevelopment of an existing property or exploring a larger residential development, early architectural advice can help establish the right way forward.
Thinking about a project in Cornwall?
Speak to our Newquay team about your site, property or development ideas and find out how Co Create Architects can help you take the first steps.
