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.
The property comprises a large farmhouse with 7 holiday cottages and 2 large barns for conversion, grouped around a courtyard garden. Following an initial design and costing study, detailed design and other work is now in hand for a planning application in late 2005.
The main elements of the scheme are as follows...
- upgrading the existing holiday cottages and creating new units, to provide a total of 11 residential units
- upgrading the old stone farmhouse to provide shared facilities for residents, plus guest rooms for eco-B&B and workshop participants
- creating an attractive group room in a timber barn, for workshops and events (eg on cohousing, circle dancing, etc) and for use by the local community
- workspace for on-site residents and others
- car pooling and sustainable travel plan
- shared market garden
- a biomass system for heating and hot water
The shared vision for Cole Street Farm is an informal community, living more sustainably in the full sense: personally, as a group, and ecologically. We want to embody sustainable living to nourish our lives and the wider community, and to show it can be done. Important qualities of community for us are:
- Serving something greater than our own needs
- Mutual support
- Shared values and commitments
- Clarity and integrity in how we communicate and relate to each other
- Respect for each other’s autonomy
In addition to the six founding households, there are several others interested in the total 11 units we hope to have available by late 2006. If you are interested in joining us, please get in touch. Shared values, relevant skills to contribute, and some capital are all important; and ideally we would prefer to recruit men, couples and under-50s.
Please contact us also if you would like to take part in a workshop or volunteer programme here, if you would like to make an interest-free loan, or contribute in some other way.
The Threshold Centre is already running workshops on cohousing and other aspects of sustainable living, and offers vegetarian B&B and nurturing breaks in the farmhouse. Great ways to experience life in a fledgling cohousing community: see our website or phone for more information.
For more information, see:
- www.thresholdcentre.org.uk
- Contact Caroline Sharman or Michael Giddings on 01747 821929
- Or email us via our contact form.
3 bed eco-cottage in Dorset Cohousing, available July!
Thu, 06/03/2010 - 16:06 — admin
Oak Cottage is a three bed, end of terrace, eco barn conversion in a co-housing community in a quiet rural setting about a mile from Gillingham, Dorset which has good rail connections to London, Salisbury and Exeter. Recently completed it is in excellent decorative order and very well insulated with energy and water saving features. This is a rare chance to rent a 3 bed cottage in the Threshold Centre Community.
Threshold Centre Newsletter – January 2009
Thu, 02/11/2010 - 23:27 — adminBuilding Plans
As you will know by now, we were delighted to get our planning permission (finally!) at the end of our fourth year. So a big thank you to everyone who has supported us during this time, practically, emotionally and spiritually.
Creating cohousing: workshops led by the Threshold Centre for 2010
Fri, 12/11/2009 - 16:28 — threshold
Creating cohousing
Workshops led by members of the Threshold Centre, 2010
- 19-21 February
- 23-25 April
- 11-13 June
- 10-12 September
- 12-14 November
Download Word version of this document
Cohousing is:
- The combination of self-contained dwelling units with shared facilities
- A brilliant way to enjoy both individual privacy and the benefits of community
- A lifestyle which can be more affordable and more ecological
- How 5% of all Danish households live
- Rapidly gaining interest in the UK
The Threshold Centre is one of the few cohousing projects up and running in the UK, and the first to gain planning permission for a full mixed-tenure scheme with a housing association. We have been at Cole Street Farm since 2004. Here we aim both to embody and teach sustainable living, including aspects such as food, travel, home energy and community. We can share not only our own experience with you but also what we have learnt from the many other cohousing groups we are in touch with. In this weekend you can experience life in a cohousing community, and learn how to create a cohousing project.
The content will be tailored to the needs of participants. Whether you are just starting your exploration, or in the perplexing thick of it, and whether you're an interested individual or already part of a group, we aim to help you with your questions. The weekend is led by core group members of the Threshold Centre, with many years' experience of sustainable community living.
Practicalities
- Dates: as above
- Times: 7pm Friday to 4pm Sunday
- Cost: £130 for course, lunches and evening meals; £25/35 per night for accommodation at the Centre or local B&B. (Concessionary rate of £100 for course may be available. Please apply in writing)
- Transport: The Centre is easily reached by public transport, and we can collect you.
For bookings and enquiries contact Caroline at:
Email: i...@thresholdcentre.org.uk (click on 3 blue dots to get email...)
Tel: 01747 821929
Address: The Threshold Centre, Cole Street Farm, Cole Street Lane, Gillingham, Dorset sp8 5jq
Cohousing in Dorset: Affordable cottage available January
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 19:42 — adminThe Threshold Centre is a sustainable cohousing community and education centre near Gillingham in North Dorset, which has been operating on a pilot basis since 2004. Construction work is almost complete for an expansion programme which will create a total of 14 cottages, 50% of them affordable homes with East Dorset Housing Association. There is one unit still available: a one bedroom cottage, suitable for a single person, couple or single parent with one child.
Threshold Centre Newsletter – Autumn 2009
Sun, 09/20/2009 - 20:21 — adminThe Big Build
The builders got off to an amazingly good start, with fine weather for the first few months. Part of the brief was to re-use as much original material as possible in the renovation and it is lovely to see tiles – complete with lichen - back on the roofs. Also the new cladding on both buildings is been locally sourced larch, so no air miles there.
The new septic tank biodisc installation was extraordinary to watch, with a huge digger (like something out of Thunderbirds) to get through the solid clay ground and create a huge hole for the tank. Now it is in place, with only its green lid above ground, it is difficult to recall how enormous it seemed.
Threshold Centre - Newsletter May 2009
Thu, 05/07/2009 - 20:12 — adminOur Big Build!
We have lift-off! The remaining planning conditions have finally been discharged and builders are now on site. It’s so exciting, after all this time, to finally see (and hear) it beginning to happen before our very eyes. We are still on target for completion in January 2010.
First mixed-tenure cohousing group receives funding
Sun, 04/19/2009 - 22:09 — adminThe Threshold Centre in Dorset has recently received confirmation of grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency enabling it to proceed with the first fully mixed-tenure cohousing scheme in the UK.
"Creating Cohousing": Workshops led by members of The Threshold Centre for 2009
Mon, 12/15/2008 - 09:20 — thresholdDates 2009: 20-22 February, 24-26 April, 26-28 June, 11-13 September, 13-15 November
The Threshold Centre is one of the handful of cohousing projects established so far in the UK. While many exploratory cohousing groups have met for several years without getting started, The Threshold core group formed in February 2004, and bought Cole Street Farm in November 2004. In this weekend, you can experience life in a fledgling cohousing community, and learn how to create a cohousing project.
