A Cornwall resource and tool list to assist with your project.

01/08/2025

Cornwall – UK List

Cornwall Councill Building Control – https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/building-control/

A great starting point on building projects in Cornwall. Budling control applications, inspection stages, regularisation certificates, and choosing between full plans and building notices routes. Resources are available in downloadable forms, technical checklists and overview guides.

Cornwall Design Guide – https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/design/

A guide in how to design residential buildings, sustainable neighbourhoods, street layouts, building materials etc to align with the local polices of Cornwall, (biodiversity initiatives, climate-responsive designs and historic context)

Cornwall Householder Guidance – https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-advice-and-guidance/householder-guidance/

PDF guides, and checklists for extensions, loft conversions, small scale builds and renovations with the aim to give clarity from planning to inspection.

Listed Buildings Cornwall

Cornwall Councill – Listed Buildings – https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/conservation-and-planning/listed-buildings/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

A resource guide for owners of listed buildings (Grade I, II/II*) and typical examples of restricted works. Any alteration, demolition or extension must receive a listed building consent if it affects the buildings character.

Historic England – https://historicengland.org.uk/ – https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/find/a-z-publications/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Offers downloadable advice, guidance and consultation.

Resource	Why It Matters
Cornwall Council – Listed Buildings	Defines local process, legal responsibilities, and conservation contacts
Historic England Advice Notes	Comprehensive national-level guidance for consent, energy upgrades, reuse
Local Conservation Officer Advice	Critical for identifying protected elements and curtilage extensions/frameworks
Specialist Surveys & Architects	Ensure heritage expertise to make well-documented, acceptable applications

UK – Resource List

Planning portal (UK) – https://www.planningportal.co.uk/

The official site for planning and building regulations, offers guidance documents alongside alongside planning documents.

Building regulations (UK) – https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/approved-documents

Access to all approved documents in association with building regulations in England, offering updates and consultations

National House Building Council – https://www.nhbc.co.uk/

Offers industry standards on building new homes. (NHBC standards are widely used by developers)

Building Standards Institute (BSI) – https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/

A source for British standards. Unfortunately some are paid, but there are some free resources here, and discounts for institutions and students.

RIBA – Building, construction and planning tool

A free tool by RIBA architecture to help structure building, design and construction phases.

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Overview of Table

Topic	Source
Planning & permitted development	Cornwall Council planning advice pages (nhbarchitecturalservices.co.uk)
Design & materials guides	Cornwall Design Guide (Cornwall Council)
Regulations reference & application	Cornwall Council building control section (Cornwall Council, Cornwall Council)
Technical checklists: drainage, radon, appliances	Guidance pages & forms section (Cornwall Council)
Inspection & approvals steps	Building notice vs full plans process (submitaplan.com, Cornwall Council)
Homeowner-friendly advice	LABC Front Door guides & homeowner PDFs (Cornwall Council, homeandbuild.co.uk)
Support for sustainability & design quality	Cornwall Design Guide and policy tools (Cornwall Council, Cornwall Council)