Block Management in Launceston
Seven Grade I buildings, three critical drainage areas and no neighbourhood plan.
We provide residents' management companies, RTM companies and freeholders in Launceston with block and leasehold management, from service charge accounts to Section 20 works. The parish holds 219 listed entries including seven Grade I, and three critical drainage areas cover Newport, St Stephens and the south east. Launceston South alone has 623 purpose-built flats.
What We Would Put First for a Block in Launceston
Obtain Listed Building Consent Early
With 219 list entries in the parish, seven of them Grade I and fourteen Grade II*, consent is a frequent question here. For a block in the 69.5 hectare conservation area we would confirm listed status and obtain consents before specifying works.
ConsentsReview Flood Cover Along the Kensey
Environment Agency warning areas on the Kensey name Riverside and West Bridge Road, with a second covering the Newport industrial estate. For a block in either area we would review flood cover at each placement and handle claims.
InsuranceInspect Drainage in Critical Drainage Areas
The council records the Wooda Stream culverted past housing at Newport and the St Stephens Hill area draining into the steep, constrained Roydon Stream. We would schedule inspections of a block's surface drainage in those critical drainage areas.
InspectionsPlan Reserves for Launceston South Blocks
Launceston South holds 623 purpose-built flats among 3,144 households. For a purpose-built block there we would set a reserve fund around planned maintenance and run Section 20 consultation when major works fall due.
Reserve fundsManaging a Block in Launceston at a Glance
- Local authority
- Cornwall Council
- Authority type
- Unitary
- Building control
- Cornwall Council Building Control
- County
- Cornwall
- Fire and rescue service
- Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- South West Water
- From our Plymouth office
- About 21 miles in a straight line
- Setting
- Inland
What It Costs to Move a Block in Launceston to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
Seven Grade I Buildings in a Town This Size
One area of 69.5 hectares. The recorded status date of 1 January 1969 looks like a default value rather than a real designation and should be treated with caution: the council's own 2006 character appraisal gives no designation date at all. That appraisal is the guide for external works to a block inside the boundary.
Historic England holds 219 entries in the parish, seven of them grade I and fourteen grade II star. The seven grade I are the castle keep and its north and south gatehouses, the South Gate, the West Bridge, and the churches of St Mary Magdalene and St Stephen. The council's 2006 appraisal gives four scheduled ancient monuments and 7 grade I, 13 grade II star and over 200 grade II, which closely matches the list. Listed building consent is a frequent question for blocks in the centre, so it should be confirmed before works are specified.
Launceston South Holds Most of the Purpose-Built Flats
At the 2021 Census 1,008 of the 6,081 households across the two divisions were flats, 16.6 per cent. Of those, 751 were purpose-built, 113 in a converted or shared house, 76 in another converted building and 68 over commercial premises. Launceston South carries almost all of it, with 623 purpose-built flats in 3,144 households; the northern division is largely rural. Most blocks here are purpose-built, so planned maintenance and reserve funds carry most of the work.
Three Critical Drainage Areas, and Nothing Tidal
Fluvial on the River Kensey and surface water. The Tamar is far above its tidal limit here, so nothing about this town is tidal. The Environment Agency runs two warning areas on the Kensey. One runs from Newmills to St Leonards, naming Riverside and West Bridge Road and excluding the Newport industrial estate; the second covers that estate from St Thomas Road bridge to Ridgegrove bridge. Three separate critical drainage areas cover the parish: Newport, St Stephens and the south east. The council records that the Wooda Stream enters a culvert taking it past housing and through the Newport industrial estate, with an additional culvert installed as part of a flood alleviation scheme. The St Stephens Hill area drains into the steep and constrained Roydon Stream, and the two watercourses draining land east of the town have caused flooding to the A388. For a block in a warning area or a critical drainage area, flood cover and surface drainage inspections both matter.
No Neighbourhood Plan, and the Nearby One Is Another Parish
Decided under the Cornwall Local Plan. There is no neighbourhood plan and no designated neighbourhood area for the town. The separate rural parish of St Stephen by Launceston Rural does have a made plan, from 28 November 2019, but it is a different parish. The one Article 4 direction in the parish covers 9.2 hectares at Druccombe Farm, which is farmland rather than the town centre, so it does not affect blocks in the town.
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Launceston Questions
Is Launceston Affected by Tidal Flooding?
No. The Tamar is far above its tidal limit here. The risks are fluvial on the River Kensey and surface water, with two Environment Agency warning areas on the Kensey and three critical drainage areas, at Newport, St Stephens and the south east.
Does a Neighbourhood Plan Apply to Our Launceston Block?
No. There is no neighbourhood plan and no designated neighbourhood area for the town, so works are decided under the Cornwall Local Plan. The separate rural parish of St Stephen by Launceston Rural has a plan made on 28 November 2019, but it is a different parish and should not be mistaken for a town plan.
Is There an Article 4 Direction in Launceston?
There is one in the parish, but it covers 9.2 hectares of farmland at Druccombe Farm rather than the town centre. The town has a separate 69.5 hectare conservation area, whose 2006 character appraisal gives no designation date, so the recorded 1969 date should be treated with caution.
Nearby Areas
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