Methodology

During the winter of 2006/7, the UK Cohousing Network undertook an email/telephone survey of forming and operational co-housing groups. The aim of the survey was to discover more about the barriers groups had experienced in setting up; the benefits in environmental and social terms they had experienced or were anticipating; the extent to which they had included or expected to include an element of affordable/rented/social housing within their project and the approaches they were taking to achieve this. The survey was sent to 14 groups. 12 responded including two which have closed. Respondents were drawn from across the country including one group in Scotland.

Findings

The following barriers were found: prohibitive land prices, lack of local authority understanding or support, local authorities claiming their hands are 'tied by government', planning rigidity, the difficulty of obtaining social housing grant to include affordable housing, lack of capacity within groups - groups have very little access to models and structures and often have to start from scratch, lack of recognition of the value of cohousing, and the unwillingness of housing associations to allow autonomy to tenants or local groups. The same survey found common aspirations among these local groups to be both socially inclusive and environmentally friendly. Similar constraints have been met by a number of community land trusts.

Recommendations

The survey found that the following was needed:

• Central Government policy advice to local authorities about cohousing and its role in achieving other public policy ambitions locally.
• A mechanism is needed to bring housing associations and cohousing groups together.
• Groups and local authorities need support to explore how to use community land trusts as a vehicle for cohousing.
• Planning exceptions could be a route for dealing with high land prices.
• There is huge scope for cohousing groups to pilot very sustainable building/living standards - both in terms of building methods and standards and in terms of what is required of the cohousing community -Could s.106 agreements be used more in this respect?
• Support for forming groups very important. The absence of any serious cohousing infrastructure is critically impeding its growth.
• The cohousing world needs support in identifying/measuring the social/local community benefits and in developing models for building those benefits in at the planning stage.