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How to Get a Hearty Return on Your Investment (and Enjoy a Slower Pace of Life)

This year has been unprecedented. Never before have we felt such a need to look after our families and prepare for the future. Many of us are now able to work from home and so are making the move away from the big cities to find a slower, more peaceful way of life. Investing in a new home which can also give you a healthy return on investment is the kind of savvy move your future self will thank you for making!

Dreams of Escape

Exacerbated by the pressures of lockdown, city dwellers are tempted by the extra space, swathes of greenery and lower property prices than they find in the city. Watching the sun set as you enjoy supper on the terrace, taking the kids to the beach after school and enjoying woodland walks at the weekend is all part of the charm.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

In the past the trend has been for people to have their main base in the city and a holiday home in the country. The pandemic means that times are a-changing, and now many folk are keeping a bolt-hole in the city but moving their main home to the countryside. Investing in a new home in Cornwall not only gives you the lifestyle you crave, but it can help you to garner a healthy second income if you rent it out as a holiday home for part of the year whilst you are working in the city or travelling.

Letting Your New Home

Cornish Gems are an award-winning local company specialising in providing luxury self-catering holidays in Cornwall. The company provides visitors to the UK’s number one tourist destination with five-star self-catering accommodation in iconic and breathtaking locations throughout Cornwall. Each and every property is hand-picked by the experienced team to showcase some of the very best, most exacting standards of holiday homes in the county.

The Return - Up to £80,000 a Year

We have partnered with Cornwall’s premier holiday let agents who have predicted a 6-7% gross return for owners who choose to place their new Green and Rock home onto the holiday let market with Cornish Gems. This equates to a gross income of £70-£80k per annum, with 15-20 weeks per year left for you to enjoy the house yourselves. With their careful guidance on housekeeping, how to run a holiday let and all the other necessaries, your investment will soon see a healthy return.

With Cornish staycations on the rise, this will prove a savvy move for those looking for a flexible and profitable investment, and give you even more time to enjoy a slower pace of life.

The Difference, is Green and Rock

With an innate passion for property and a love of design, we nurture each property project to ensure that every last detail is executed with meticulous attention to detail. We take the time to translate your vision and incorporate all of those personal touches which truly make your new house a home. If you are looking for a great investment opportunity and decide that your home will be let as a holiday let for part of the year, we can incorporate all of those little design touches from the outset to make it perfect for staycation holiday makers. Additions such as outside showers to wash off sandy toes after a day at the beach, bedrooms with en suites, living areas with bespoke built-in sound systems, or cinema rooms and hot tubs to allow you to command a higher year round tariff.

Get in touch today and let us introduce you to the team at Cornish Gems so that they can generate a personal financial report and investment forecasting based on letting out your new home. We can’t wait to help you on your journey and plan for your future, you won’t regret it…


Ben Barrell Artist

Immersing Art into the Landscape

Here at Green and Rock we truly care about the properties we build. We take pride in going the extra mile so that the homes we create are real homes with heart. We incorporate all those finishing touches to ensure that our properties are homes we would want to live in ourselves. We have recently commissioned one such finishing touch at the Cormorant development in Golant. We have commissioned world-renowned sculptor Ben Barrell to create a centrepiece for the development. The piece will echo the surrounding landscape and provide a beautiful showcase within the villagescape alongside the River Fowey.

Art Sculptor Ben Barrell

Ben Barrell is a Cornish sculptor who is heavily influenced by the extraordinary beauty of the place that has been his home since birth. Brought up a farmer’s son on a cliff top above St Gennys, Ben was fully immersed in an understanding of the ebbs and flows of nature from a young age. He has first-hand experience of the drama of the Atlantic Ocean and the waves that crash against the beach, the experience of sailing on it and surfing through it, the joy of encountering the species that call it home. His stunning sculptural forms are inspired by this and flow out of his approach to life and the experiences around him. Ben’s work can be found as close to home as The Scarlet Hotel in Mawgan Porth and as far afield as Dubai, Shanghai and Hong Kong. He works mostly in concrete and bronze, he loves concrete and the juxtaposition between its utilitarian functionality and its ability to flow into a complex shape which gives it permanence.

The centrepiece we have commissioned him to create for us at The Cormorant will undoubtedly be influenced by the flow of the River Fowey, and the shapes of the rich flora and fauna that occupy this part of Cornwall. Ben says,

“After a very busy few months on International commissions, it is lovely to be starting something new, and something that will showcase my work in Cornwall. I visited the Cormorant project in Golant this month and the views are breathtaking. My challenge is to create something that captures the beauty of the place and sets off this lovely project”
Ben Barrell

Creative Director John Orriss says,

"We always wanted to enhance and complement the natural beauty of Golant and the River Fowey with this development. Because of this it felt right to choose a Cornish sculptor to create a standout piece of art for this special place. Working with local talent is part of our philosophy at Green and Rock and we can’t wait to see the finished result."
John Orriss


Aerial view of Golant, the river Fowey and the Cormorant property development

Why Did We Choose Golant as the Location for the Cormorant Development?

When planning to build a luxury collection of new homes the location we choose is paramount. We know that our discerning clients adore this unique county and want to fully immerse themselves in Cornish life, so being close to the coast and surrounded by breath-taking scenery is crucial.

We are responsible for the homes we build, and so we ensure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to meticulous planning. We want the homes we create to integrate into the community and to enhance their surroundings, so we work closely with our landscape designer and architect to achieve this.

Our aim is to leave as light a footprint as possible. As a development company operating across Cornwall, it is of crucial importance to us at Green and Rock that we are able to protect and enhance the natural landscapes within which our homes dwell.

Fowey Estuary, Golant

Our overarching objective is to tailor a bespoke and positive experience centred on our clients’ needs. As a company we invite a culture of mutual respect and transparency so that the satisfaction felt once a project completes is resounding.

The Cormorant Development in Golant

The location of the Cormorant Development is the sleepy village of Golant; a waterside village on the West bank of the river Fowey.

It is said that Kenneth Graham wrote 'Tales of the Riverbank', (the precursor to The Wind in The Willows) after a trip along this river in 1907. This charming spot has a friendly village pub, a plethora of riverside and woodland walks and a heart-filled community spirit. The historic harbour town of Fowey is just 4 miles away by road (or 2 miles by boat), and only 40 minutes on foot along the Saints Way. Fowey is a bustling harbour village with independent shops, delicious eateries and bustling harbour life. Interestingly, Golant is also home to the iconic Sawmills recording studio which has seen the likes of Stone Roses, Oasis, Robert Plant, Razorlight and Muse record there since it was created in 1974. This unique residential recording studio was the first of its kind and is unique as it can only be accessed by boat or via a railway line that runs past it.

View over Fowey Estuary - Photo by T Z P on Unsplash

This beautiful hillside location was originally the setting for the Cormorant Hotel, which in its heyday it was a thriving business with stunning views across the river. For the past decade the hotel had been running at a loss and so the owners had been looking to sell for several years with no luck. We acquired the land in 2019 and worked with our architects to plan the development of nine luxury homes with riverside views and a clean finish. The proposed development is due to complete in Summer 2022 and we are already getting lots of interest from potential buyers. Take a look at the plans for the Cormorant Development here.

If you are interested in Green and Rock making your dreams of a new home a reality, get in touch today and let’s discuss your ideas. We thrive on inspiration and creativity and look forward to meeting you.