Set up a few years ago by Cornwall Council, Treveth was created to fulfil an urgent need, building quality homes for local people. As the company has grown, so too has its ambition and desire to make a positive impact.
Built to Last
Treveth is a commercial business operating separately and at arms-length from Cornwall Council. Delivering mixed-tenure developments across the county, the business has grown from an initial group of a handful of employees to its current staffing level of around 40.
From the start, it has operated with a long-term approach, practical, putting people first, and a commitment to doing the right thing for residents, communities, and the environment. With those guiding principles, its work and ethos aligned naturally with that of B Corp™.
Built for Cornwall
The challenges of the Cornish housing market are well known. Pressures of second home ownership and short seasonal lets reducing the availability of more stable, long-term rental options.
Treveth’s goal is to help change that picture. Each site is designed as a genuine mix, offering open market rental homes alongside affordable and social housing, with a limited number of homes sold in order to make schemes viable. One of the factors which makes Treveth’s work so successful is that it retains and manages the homes it builds. This means the design, build quality, and running costs matter beyond the building stage, not just to completion.
Residents get to benefit from warmer, more efficient homes that are cheaper to run, while Treveth similarly benefits from lower operating costs and better long-term stewardship. Being responsible for the homes and communities it creates, the team focuses on durability and low carbon performance from the outset. A fabric-first design, with attention paid to embodied carbon and operational efficiency, plus a careful approach to specification all play their part.
Local Work, Local Benefit
Where practicable, Treveth breaks projects into work packages to offer the chance for tender to Cornwall-based contractors and specialist trades. That spreads opportunity through the local supply chain and helps small firms grow capability on complex sites. It also ensures that practical knowhow, quality, and accountability stay close to the places being built, further boosting the local economy.
Feedback from residents has been positive, and Treveth’s programme continues year-round with multiple live sites and future phases moving through planning. The company’s work extends beyond housing, with the development of small commercial units. Strong local demand for such premises is being fulfilled with builds in Pool and Bodmin.
Catherine Pinney, Decarbonisation and Environment Manager at Treveth sums it up by saying, “At the end of the day, we are providing homes for local people. What we are doing is significant.”
B Corp by Design
In her role, Catherine gathered evidence for B Corp eligibility. B Corps are companies which are for-profit and which meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Balancing profit with purpose, they are legally committing to consider the impact of their decisions on workers, customers, community, and the environment.
When exploring B Corp, it felt like a reflection of what Treveth was already trying to do. Achieving certification formalised that purpose. As interest in businesses doing good has increased among the public, Treveth’s B Corp status has helped with recruitment, with customers who value low-carbon living, and with stakeholders who can see that Treveth does what it says.
It’s an approach that is led from the top by Treveth’s board, with B Corp in mind when it comes to decision making, and the company linking up with the Cornwall B Local community, a network of peers. As it prepares for recertification, a requirement every three years, and under a new framework, Treveth is receiving support from the wider B Corp community. Treveth has also hosted placement students from the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus, who bring with them fresh thinking to measurement and the impact of B Corp on the business.
As Catherine states, “It demonstrates that we are doing what we say we are doing. It has really been worth it.”
Further Support
Supporting Treveth as a fellow B Corp, Stephens Scown helps thanks to its HRExpress offer. It provides HR services for organisations without a dedicated HR team, whether in the form of templates for staff handbooks, employment contracts, and advice on other HR-related matters.
It’s a relationship based on shared principles, and a common view on how organisations should treat people and develop its culture, as well as being mindful of environmental impact. Via HRExpress, Stephens Scown’s employment law specialists have been a trusted partner for day-to-day HR queries, policy development, and staff support.
Adam Ronaldson, Treveth’s Commercial and Financial Director says, “It’s nice to work with a like-minded, trusted partner who has a mutual understanding of what being B Corp means. The team at Stephens Scown has been even-handed and honest, providing good advice and practical help throughout our working relationship.”
Looking Ahead
As one of only a handful of developers that are B Corp Certified, Treveth stands out in an industry that is not often thought of as being environmentally aligned. People have shown an interest in what the company is accomplishing, and how it is leading the way in Cornwall.
While construction remains a demanding sector, Treveth is focused on steady progress. As more homes and workspaces are planned around the county, the ambition is clear; keep moving forward, keep standards high, and keep the B Corp goals in mind so that residents, local businesses, and communities can see lasting benefit from Treveth’s endeavours.
