The London Countryside Cohousing Group (‘LoCo’) developed greatly during 2010, and 2011 is now (April-May 2011) offering exciting prospects. With membership now doubled to 24, an emerging partnership with Hanover Housing Association, and several promising sites we feel we’re getting up to speed.

In February (2011) we all went for a long weekend to Stroud, Gloucestershire, where one of our most promising sites is located, for some intensive discussions about money, fiduciary arrangements, and the development and design process that would be right for this particular place. Things have continued to move forward there very encouragingly since then. But of course we know many bridges remain to be crossed, and we’re continuing to investigate other possible sites.

We’re mostly 45-60ish, professionals — in academia, education, the arts, management, social work, with six (!) architects, including Anne Thorne, an award-winning eco-housing specialist who will design our project: a very eco-aware community, built to PassiveHaus standards, mutually supportive as we get older, with care and other provisions on site allowing us to stay in our own homes for life. We want to be close to countryside but within 90 miles/minutes of London. We plan around 25 houses/flats with individual gardens, offering various kinds of tenure, plus a common house and shared land.

So far, it’s likely that once a site is agreed and can go ahead, members will pay a commitment advance of around £5,000, and intending leaseholders also a percentage of their lease up-front. We may also need loans from members who can afford to make them.

For more information, visit our website www.lccohousing.co.uk Or contact: Barbara Simpkins, Chair: ? mailto:barb…@btinternet.com (click on the three dots to the left of the @ to get full email address)