NEWS FROM LANCASTER COHOUSING, FORGEBANK Summer 2011

Demolition of the unusable buildings was completed on 18th May. The hardcore has been crushed to make aggregate. We shall use that for leveling off and for building up where needed so that the floors of our homes are six feet above the footpath and safe from a one in a thousand years chance of flooding. We trust that melting of the ice cap and sea level rise from global warming does not take us into a one in ten thousand years scenario the week after we move in!

After much background preparation on all levels Lancaster Cohousing members are thrilled to see the diggers and portacabins established on site and great tracts of rubble being shifted to lay the foundations for the 41 Passiv Haus residential units that form Forge Bank Cohousing at Halton, Lancaster. The first homes will be occupied during Spring 2012 and the final residents will get their keys in the autumn.

The Project at Lancaster Cohousing at Halton is moving on apace. The diggers are in! Groups of willing volunteers from our members and the canoe clubs (who use this stretch of the River Lune) are assisting with land clearance and salvage. We have had a huge shed load of office furniture donated by Lancaster University from a department that was closing down. We now have just 6 housing units left to for sale. These consist of 1 bed flats and 2 bed houses. Plus there is a second phase of 3 bed houses expected soon.

This weekend is our regular brunch Sunday (24.10.2010) with a guided tour of the site and an integration meeting for new members. The brunch at The Whale Tale takes place on the 4th Sunday of every month and is a chance to meet the group and find out about the project. Details at www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

Members of local community group Lancaster Cohousing are celebrating after Lancaster City Council’s planning committee approved their plans to redevelop a 2.5 hectare derelict site by the River Lune at Halton, near Lancaster, to provide 40 new private homes, shared indoor and outdoor space and managed business space. The cohousing group is a mix of individuals, couples and families of all ages whose aim is to build eco-homes of a cutting edge sustainable design and create a friendly, supportive neighbourhood.

It’s a busy and exciting time for us...

The whole group are working with our architects (Ecoarc) to design our eco cohousing project. We have finalised our home plans and are close to finalising the site plan which includes a cohouse, 28-31 homes, a pedestrian walkway and lots of green space!

We are still welcoming new members (there are 7-10 homes left depending on the final number). We will be accepting the next group of new members in March; the deadline for these applications is 28 February.

Managed Workspace

We are actively encouraging households to join the project who are interested in making use of the managed workspace on site (offices, studios, workshops). We are also interested to hear from anyone outside the cohousing project who might be interested in this space so please spread the word. The contact for this is halt...@lancastercohousing.org.uk. (Click on 3 blue dots to get the full email.)

Events

If you would like to meet us or find out more please come to one of our events -

• 4th Sunday each month: Brunch
• 11am , Whale Tail Café, Lancaster
• Sunday Feb 7th Lunch / Integration afternoon
• 1pm Gregson, Lancaster. Lunch (all welcome)
• 2pm Gregson, Integration afternoon (Prospective members only)
• Saturday Feb 13th Meal / drinks
• 6pm Gregson – meet in the bar
• Wednesday Feb 17th Planning Application Preview
• 6.30-8pm Halton Youth and Community Centre

There’s lots more information on our website.

Cheers, Kathy (kat...@lancastercohousing.org.uk - click on 3 blue dots to get full email.)

It's happening.

We've bought land alongside the River Lune at Halton and pre-sold over half the houses. There will be a zero-carbon cohousing community as well as workshop/office space in converted buildings. You can still be part of it!

We’ve had lots of visitors to our beautiful site and a few new joiners. We had our first design workshop with the architects recently and they are now working on initial drafts of site plans. There are lots of surveys going on and professionals being hired. We also spent a wonderful sunny evening at the site celebrating the project!

Lancaster Group Plans to Create a Gold Standard Eco-Cohousing Community

Lancaster Cohousing has just bought a riverside plot on which they plan to create a green cohousing development. It is hoped it will act as a catalyst and inspiration for significant improvements in the environmental impact of new housing developments.