Groups directory

Bridport Cohousing Community

admin — Sat, 02 May 2009 13:51:51 +0100

Bridport Cohousing Community

Plans to create a cohousing community of around 30 homes in Bridport are at a promising exploratory stage.
Ecos Homes, a leading local eco-developer, and Synergy Housing Group, the largest housing association in Dorset, have both agreed to work as partners with the Residents’ Group.

Canon Frome Court

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:17:49 +0000

Canon Frome Court is home to the Windflower Housing Association. The main house and stable block contain 18 leasehold self-contained living spaces of varying sizes, housing some 28 adults (age 31-72) and 19 children (0- at uni).

Cohousing Berkshire

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:51:16 +0100

Cohousing Berkshire has now been launched! We have had our first couple of meetings in Reading, and a good number of people have shown interest in the project. There is a good meetings venue, a website and an email group. We will be continuing a programme of meetings, visits and events, as we gradually take shape and find our specific constitution and direction. At the moment we are still getting the word around, getting to know each other, and the nature of the beast we are dealing with in cohousing!

If you want to find out more, or want to get involved, please see our website, or contact Barney Milner on 0118 9212363 or e-mail: bar...@bmilner.org.uk. (Click on the 3 dots before the @ to get the full e-mail.)

Cohousing Bristol

admin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:42:44 +0000

Co-Housing Bristol welcomes prospective members seeking to purchase a home in our planned sustainable and cooperative community of 36 homes in central Bristol. Co-Housing Bristol is a co-operative that has come together to create a mutually supportive, socially inclusive neighbourhood in Bristol.

We will build a strong community, which balances the benefits of group living with the needs of families and individuals, providing a secure basis to pursue rewarding and fulfilling lives. Join us now as we build and develop an intentional neighbourhood which is Socially, Environmentally and Financially Sustainable.

Co-Housing Bristol was launched at an open meeting in June 2001. Subsequent meetings allowed the first members to explore the lessons from existing communities, to develop their vision of the project and identify the principles and aims of Co-Housing Bristol. Since then, the group has grown and developed as a community, recruiting new members, researching sites, architecture and techniques. We have established dialogue with a range of professionals and organisations, developing a network of contacts and potential partners, and identifying many of the problems and opportunities in building a sustainable community.

Please see our website for more details or
contact us via this link.

Community Project

admin — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:17:01 +0000

The Community Project is a group of people who have jointly purchased a site on the edge of the small village of Laughton in East Sussex. There are 3 large buildings that have been converted into 16 family houses and 4 new houses have also been built. The 23 acres of land and a small number of other buildings on the site provide communal facilities for the group.
Whilst maintaining the privacy of individual homes, the aim of the group is to live co-operatively, jointly managing the land and communal facilities, informally sharing skills and support and generally enjoying each other's company.

There is no one specific ideology which defines the group, but we are all keen on a spirit of community. We do not want an institutionalised feel, but we do want to be more than simply a housing estate. We want to live next door to people we know and trust. Read more about the Community Project, or contact us, via the links below.

For those interested in in finding out more about the community, as well as media enquiries contact Sarah Berger via her form or

The Community Project
15 Laughton Lodge
Laughton
East Sussex BN8 6BY

Tel: 01323 815727 (voice mail-please leave a message)

For more information on the Community project, click here.
Or, to download a case study on the CP, right click here

Courtyards Community

admin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:45:58 +0000

The Courtyards Community comprises 5 units within a converted school on the outskirts of Bradford on Avon. Each unit is self-contained. We share the use of 8 acres of land and a wonderful communal hall. Other shared facilities include a tennis court, swimming pool and orchard. This year, all types of fruit were particularly in abundance.

Most residents work off-site (at least for some of the time), but we get together for a full day's work once a month. Jobs we've taken on over the last few months have been painting, turf-laying, tree-planting, garden-building, rock-shifting, grass-cutting, sewage-composting, tree-cutting and some other building and development projects. We always end up sharing a meal together. We've recently instigated a formal method of accounting for the different availability of each resident for additional communal work.

Communal facilities are used regularly by groups which include people from outside the community. Examples have been the monthly dance: 'The Wave', a book club, meetings of the Woodcraft Folk, WWOOF days, camping, private parties and weddings.

In 2005, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the original conversion of Frankleigh House into living units. This project subsequently became "The Courtyards Community" and "Frankleigh Co-Flats".

Eco Chateau

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:12:32 +0000

Eco Chateau
A new co-housing and eco holiday project based in a 17th century chateau in France.

We inviting people to join us to create a self-sufficient community.
Visit our website for more information.

Join us!

Volunteer with free board & lodging
Purchase a co-housing share
Have a holiday!

Many thanks

Enlinca Cambridge

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:02:39 +0000

We are a group of people living in or near Cambridge who are exploring options and possibilities of forming a Cohousing community. We have been meeting monthly since mid-2000 during which time we have got to know one another and clarified our ideas on Cohousing. We have also visited a number of existing communities elsewhere in the UK, and this has helped give shape to our vision. We were officially incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 1st August 2003.

Frankleigh co-flats

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:34:45 +0000

Frankleigh CoFlats consists of 6 self contained flats converted from a grade 2 listed Victorian Mansion. Residents have their own self contained flats. They share in the maintenance and caring of the buildings and land. The communal kitchen, grand lobby and grounds are used for communal meals, parties and social gatherings. Decisions are made by consensus or rarely by majority if deadlocked.

Frome Cohousing Group

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:29:18 +0000

Frome Co Housing Group held its first meeting in the Autumn of 2009 at which we shared our ideas, hopes and experience of Co Housing. Amongst the ideas that emerged from this was a desire to have a wide range of ages and backgrounds in the residents. To this end we would expect to work with a housing association to include an element of social housing and shared ownership if a site of the appropriate size is available.

Lancaster Cohousing

admin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:53:21 +0000

*It's happening!* Lancaster Cohousing has bought the Halton Gorge site.

It's a beautiful site with a south facing slope down to the River Lune a perfect spot to create our exciting eco cohousing development. The project will comprise private homes, community facilities, workshop/office space and shared outdoor space. It will be built on ecological values in partnership with our architects, Ecoarc. Over the next few months the group will be working with the architects to design the site and homes before building work can commence. We hope to move in April 2012.

Lifetime Community Project

admin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:36:44 +0000

We plan to create a cohousing community in West Yorkshire, for people who want a co-operative and self-responsible life style for their later years. Our community will support members to grow older together, to “age in place” safely and enjoyably. The community will include 12 – 20 homes with shared facilities such as a large dining room, recreation areas, laundry, workshops and gardens. There will be a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability.

We want to engage local people’s interest and involvement in the LifeTime project, so that we remain part of the wider community. We will be a model of a supportive and accessible age-in-place community, encouraging other older people to consider such projects for themselves. We shall raise the profile of this kind of housing project with policy makers and service providers.

You can contact us via the contact form link above. See below for more information about the Lifetime Community Project.

LILAC

admin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:04:38 +0100

We are LILAC

LILAC stands for Low Impact Living Affordable Community. We will be a pioneering, carbon neutral, permanently affordable, sustainable mixed urban housing community. We plan to a cohousing community of 20 homes in Leeds. Whilst most British cohousing has been relatively sustainable, socially and ecologically, we also hope to set new standards for affordablilty. Previously we were known as “Leeds eco-village”.

Low Impact Living
Design features, some shared living and individual commitments will ensure we reduce energy and resource use - save money. We aim to use natural building materials, insulations and have grey/black water recycling. Where possible we will harness appropriate renewable technologies as we work towards zero carbon design and energy use.

Affordable
We are a new and unique financial and legal entity called a Mutual Home Ownership Society (MHOS). This involves member residents paying around 35% of their monthly income towards their equity share. On leaving residents get an out-payment only partially linked to the national and local house market fluctuations. The cost of building will be reduced by using the cheap material of straw. Homes will not be quite so big as some necessities will be shared in the cohouse. All of these measure will help make sure that moving to – and living in - LILAC should always be affordable.

Community
The design will foster conviviality and community interaction by using the cohousing concept that mixes private dwelling space and shared facilities. The ‘co-house’ will include communal cooking and eating facilities, meeting space and play area. Other shared facilities will be emerge from an assessment of needs made with the adjacent communities. The design of the project will create a beautiful living space which will maximise as appropriate green spaces, areas for food production and social interaction.

London Cohousing Group

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:05:23 +0000

The real beginnings of the London Co-Housing Group were at a meeting in the Lambs Conduit pub in January 2007 in Holborn. After a series of small meetings to assess the level of interest (just of the two of us then!), this meeting was well attended by people of all ages, keen to organise a co-housing community in London or Greater London. We kicked around options - the sort of community people were aiming for, relevant experiences of communal or similar lifestyles, funding styles and so on.

By late spring 2007, the group began to discuss a constitution and to work towards setting up a website, which now exists, and Basecamp project management software with password access for members.

In June 2007 the group held a special workshop where we explored just what it was we all meant by co-housing and what the real deal breakers might be. David Michaels, the creator of Springhill Co-Housing Community in Wiltshire (and other projects) visited for part of the day and told us how the Springhill group had set about things, how it was all turning out, and how to set about financing a project commercially.

Since then we have continued to meet as a group regularly, we have our own logo and Basecamp works well for us, with members checking in to post messages and share tasks.

The downside is that there have been issues with maintaining good attendance and a stable core group so we do not have to continually brief new members, and very real divisions over the nature of funding and financing the project.

Right in early 2008 those of us who prefer the idea that the project should be open to all in the sense of combining renting and buying have a lot of work to do to investigate, among other things, green building societies, the London Development Plan, what land or empty buildings councils have to offer, and what other groups are up to.

We hope to come up with sufficiently good information that the whole group can agree on a future direction – or if not at least to understand that commercial forces are too strong and that the best we hope for, still very novel of course, would be a commercially viable intentional community.

London Countryside Cohousing Group (LoCo)

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:47:41 +0000

The London Countryside Cohousing Group ('LoCo') began four years ago with seven friends and now comprises thirteen people, including several couples, mostly friends and friends of friends, some from south London but mostly north-east Londoners aiming to set up a community which will be mutually supportive as we get older and which will enable us to live in a more sustainable way than we do now.

Norwich Cohousing

admin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:25:24 +0000

Norwich Cohousing is now actively developing plans for our project. Over the past year we have formed a group, got to know each other and discussed our core values. We have drawn up a constitution and set up a bank account. We've had a lot of meals together! We have also loosely defined our objective - a sustainable cohousing community within seven miles of Norwich City Centre.

We are now starting to develop contacts with organisations and professionals, gather information and look for potential sites. We will also be hosting open events and publicising our group locally. New prospective members are always welcome.

We have a website at www.norwichcohousing.org.uk
For more information contact Lucy Hall on 01603 613440
Email i...@norwichcohousing.org.uk (click on the 3 blue dots to get the full email.)

Older Womens Cohousing, London

admin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:01:13 +0000

The Older Women's Cohousing project was set up by a small group of women in 1998 with the aim of building a Cohousing Community in London along the lines of a model developed by older people in the Netherlands. We are a mixed tenure group of women over fifty and have as a development partner the housing association Housing for Women. They are helping us to locate a suitable site and to enlist the support of a larger housing association in developing it for us.

Postlip Community

admin — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:46:59 +0000

We’re a small community of eight families, occupying separate ‘living units’ inside a large Cotswold Manor House, and we currently have a three-bed unit for sale at £217,000 (more on our website). People tend to stay here for many years but one of our long-time member families has inherited a house and land in California so is starting a new adventure. You can discuss joining us if you’re interested to see if we all like one another and think we can live together.
Email sand...@gmail.com to start a conversation. (Click on the three dots to the left of the @ for full email address)

Our bit of the Postlip valley holds a mainly-Jacobean house, a medieval Tithe Barn, and the 12C Chapel of St James, in Gloucestershire. We do lots of things together, from growing organically and maintaining the house and grounds to running public events but we also have private lives.

The best way to visit Postlip is to come and work with us in the garden and estate on one of our monthly working weekends. Postlip events include the annual Cotswold Beer Festival, folk and classical music concerts, story-telling and drama, and our current schedule is here...

We sometimes hire out our beautiful medieval Tithe Barn, and the Great Hall, for weddings, exhibitions, parties and large events.

Prospect Cohousing

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:52:00 +0100

We are a group of like-minded people who are setting up an intentional community based on permaculture principles in the Devon area. The community will have a strong co-housing element with dwellings that are largely self-contained but with many shared facilities. However, this will be smaller than most co-housing projects and be as sustainable as possible.

We are looking to buy a property, a large house or farmstead with land, which will be rural but near a village or small town, probably in the Devon area.

Current Activity

We are meeting over a weekend about once a month in South Zeal, near Okehampton to get to know each other, work out the details of our shared vision and visit potentially suitable properties. Our time scale to realise this project is about a year from now (autumn 2010). It is very important that group members meet each other frequently before finally deciding to purchase a property. More members, especially those with capital, are needed to make this community happen. As our vision is still being formed, new members will have an opportunity to help shape the project.

If you are interested in finding out more about 'Prospect' and our developing vision, please visit our website. Alternatively telephone Frances on 01243 430314.

Saleemworld group

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:07:11 +0000

We want to set up a diverse, family friendly co-housing project. We meet in October Gallery, Bloomsbury to research and plan this, and we've looked at a number of sites.

We've got:

a main investor and resources to get this going
developer/architect skills on board
a search agency contracted to help us find the right site

SOLCA

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:12:01 +0000

SOLCA (South Leicester CoHousing Association) was started early in 2008 by a group of friends living near to each other south of Victoria Park in Leicester. They have had regular meetings since. In November they held their first AGM and adopted a constitution that defines their membership and aims.

Springdale Gardens Cohousing Group

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:58:16 +0100

We are a small group of mixed households, currently 7 adults and 6 children overall, developing a small cohousing project in Stoke Newington, North London. We came together by chance (or destiny, depending on how you look at it!) when two members, after looking around for almost 2 years, had found a rare opportunity to purchase a disused, 1000 sq. m. backland site within their local residential area, and asked others to join them to be able to co-create their dream of building a community in urban London.

Springhill Cohousing

admin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:22:38 +0000

Stroud Co-flats

admin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:33:50 +0000

CoFlats Stroud is a community made up of 14 private self contained flats. There is a small common house on 2 floors and a shared laundry.

The Common house is for residents and friends to socialise, cook communal meals, organise events, hold residents meetings to run the common aspects of CoFlats or just hang out and have a cup of coffee whilst the laundry is done next door.

Threshold Centre, Dorset

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:43:36 +0000

In November 2004, six members of Dorscoh, Dorset Cohousing Group, formed a limited company and purchased Cole Street Farm to create a pilot cohousing facility and education centre.

Thundercliffe Grange

admin — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:26:18 +0000

Thundercliffe, an eighteenth century mansion house with service wings and stable block, set in 22 acres of mixed park land and woodland on the Sheffield/Rotherham border in South Yorkshire celebrated its 20th anniversary as a co-housing institution in May 2000.

The initial participants, the majority of whom still live at the Grange, were mainly local government officers who, together with friends and family, formed the company "Thundercliffe Grange Ltd." to purchase the Grange, a former residential home for physically and mentally handicapped children, from Sheffield Health Authority and to convert it into self-contained flats together with areas for communal use.

There are twelve flats - some occupied by single people the others by families, in total some two dozen occupants ranging in age from 2 to 65. There is no specific ideology which defines the group and every effort is made to preserve the privacy and autonomy of individuals while sharing the benefits (and the work and expense) of the house and its grounds. The land, apart from the kitchen garden and ornamental gardens adjacent to the house, comprises woodland and park land and is managed in such a way as to enhance the habitat for birds, animals etc.The ground floor of the main building provides communal areas such as workshop, dining room and laundry.

Trelay Farm, Cornwall

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:01:09 +0000

Trelay is a co-housing eco-village. Our vision is that it will eventually have about 30 adult residents plus children and visitors. (Currently we have 17 residents, ranging in age from 11 months to 88 years.) We have several empty living spaces which we are letting out as holiday accommodation until new residents join. Contact us if you'd like to come and live here!

Ullet Grange

admin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:11:55 +0100

Serious interest is invited for a joint and cooperative venture to develop a one acre Victorian mansion on Sefton Park, Liverpool. A paper available describes the house and relevant information and photographs can be viewed at SuttonKersh.

I am open to discussing different cohousing options, including a 'senior' scheme and there would be a great deal more to find out, discuss and plan but all parties would need to satisfy themselves that they can move quickly, work together and be prepared to agree to a process, a contract and firm statements of intent. Since 1982 the house has been a communal household.

Between three and six parties are invited to join a venture to convert a Grade II Listed Building into apartments with communal elements. The property is currently marketed with a guide price of £795,000 and there is over 900sq.m. of space to develop. It is not possible to accurately state the individual investment required as there are a number of variables.

The initial investment would create 'shell' units following an agreed procedure, after which ('Stage II'), individual parties would invest as they required in their own apartment adding further value. The apartments would vary in size and value and a cost/price balance based on the average value of apartments would be made at the end of 'Stage I' meaning the initial investment would be increased for some and reduced for others. An English Heritage grant may be available.

Main goals of the project would be to protect as far as is reasonable the valuable character of the house and to develop where possible incorporating 'green' and renewable energy principles. In the process everyone would acquire a grand apartment in a rare property in the most attractive area of Liverpool and gain substantial equity, regards, Mike Howson, 6 June 2008.

For more information contact Mike either by e-mail - mike...@gmail.com (Click on the three dots before the @ to get the full e-mail) or by phone - 0151 7332073.

Vivarium, Fife

admin — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:29:29 +0000

Vivarium is for people who choose to live in a positive, co-operative and responsible manner with family, friends, neighbours and the environment.

Recent research shows that housing options for older people are limited and do not meet the needs of a population who are increasingly active, and who are seeking to retain their full cognitive faculties for as long as possible whilst wishing to enjoy a sense of dignity and self worth. It is against this backdrop that Vivarium was born.

The pilot project will be for older people who recognise the difficulties of living in rural areas. These are people who will choose to live in a co-operative fashion and continue to contribute in a meaningful way to society. Vivarium members hope to remain active and involved in life for as long as possible, not simply to be provided for and be dependent upon health care support mechanisms.

Vivarium membership groups will be self managing and members will be involved in the decision making process throughout.
Vivarium members will have a desire to live in a co-operative manner, sharing resources thus going someway to alleviating problems of food and fuel poverty.
Communal areas are integral to the concept of cohousing, providing areas where residents can meet and feel part of the community.
This concept can be applied inter- generationally and to any "common interest groups".

For more information, please visit our website or contact Hugh Hoffman, Vice Chairman, The Vivarium Trust on 01337-831403. E-mail Hugh via his contact form.

Wild Geese Co-operative

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:24:25 +0000

The newly-formed The Wild Geese Cohousing Co-operative Ltd. has been recently registered with the help of Catalyst Collective and is looking for land to buy in Forres for a new-build co-housing scheme (very early days).

Prospective new members, please contact: