Community Project
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, please use the Community Project contact form above.
For more information on the Community project, click here.
Or, to download a case study on the CP, right click here
Three Bedroom Garden Flat for Sale at the Community Project, Laughton
Three Bedroom Garden Flat for Sale at the Community Project
near Lewes, East Sussex £279,000
(www.cohousing.org.uk/community-project)
The flat is one of twenty one units set in 23 acres with vegetable plots, children’s play areas and horses.
The flat consists of:
Conservatory Living Room 22’ 5” x 10’ 3”
Open plan Kitchen / Living Area 15” 8” x 11’ 5”
Bedroom 1: 15’8” (into alcove) x 12’
Bedroom 2: 10’ x 9’3”
Bedroom 3: 12’ 5” x 6’ 7”
Bathroom with bath, toilet, sink, fitted mirror, mosaic shower
Utility area
For Sale: 23, Laughton Lodge - 4 Bedroom House
House for sale in the Community Project, East Sussex
A four-bed roomed house, part of a 1930s villa, in a co-housing project set in 24 acres of land in Sussex countryside bordering the South Downs and within six miles of Lewes. This is a chance to live in a more neighbourly way with lots of opportunity for developing creative projects, making new friends, and bringing up children in an open, caring and creative environment. The site includes a meadow, woodland, a communal building with a hall, dining room, kitchen and guest rooms, vegetable plots, a polytunnel, chickens and horses. For information about the Community Project please see below or visit the Community Project group page here on the UK Cohousing Network website.
Price £499,995
History of the Community Project
Getting started
The project began with one couple who had a vision of a different type of lifestyle. They did some initial research and gradually became aware of a wide spectrum of existing communities. Some shared much more than others, the most “communal” pooling all of their income, working together and sharing meals. Some were very isolated, whereas in others the majority of members had full-time jobs outside their communities. They wrote to and visited communities which seemed closest to their own idea of fostering a closer and more co-operative way of living with other people, while retaining some personal privacy. Each visit helped to shape their ideas and one particular community closely resembled the format they were thinking of. However, they found nothing that exactly corresponded to their ideas, situated within commuting distance from London, a necessary location if they were to retain their careers. They shared their ideas with some friends and a small group of interested people formed. This group met for a year, honing the ideas and documenting them. Five members of this group live at Laughton Lodge today, but it took 6 years to get there!
Legal documents: the Community Project
1. Memorandum and Articles
This is a Company Limited by Guarantee. All leaseholders are directors of the company. Associate membership is available for people not holding a lease for the property but being resident. Associate membership is available for prospective residents.
Consensus decision-making: the Community Project's take
We spend a large amount of time and effort trying to improve the way we reach decisions. Here are some extracts of documents on consensus which we have found helpful.
