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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Cohousing is a way of living which brings individuals and families together in groups to share common aims and activities while also enjoying their own self-contained accommodation and personal space.

Cohousing communities are a means of compensating for the alienating effects of modern life where neighbours don't recognise each other and where day-to-day collaboration is minimal. They offer particular benefits for children in terms of secure play-space and shared activities with their peers. Older people can also find companionship and mutual support in such communities.

The main features of cohousing communities are:

Cohousing in the UK

There is a rapidly-growing UK interest in cohousing - take a look at our map of UK projects. There are an increasing number of groups seeking sites and many individuals seeking a group to join. There are eight fully-established cohousing communities in the UK: Springhill in Stroud, the Community Project in Laughton, near Lewes, Thundercliffe Grange near Rotherham, Canon Frome in Wiltshire and the Threshold Centre in Dorset. Smaller cohousing schemes include Stroud Co-flats, Frankleigh co-flats and The Courtyards near Bradford upon Avon. All are based on owner-occupation, although the Stroud community has three shared ownership units. It is difficult to pin down the exact number of groups as they are constantly in flux. We estimate there are 25 - 30 forming groups currently functioning, with another tier of up to 60 loose coalitions interested in cohousing.

The UK Cohousing Network website is a repository of information from many people. When reading an article, note whether it has an author beneath the title. If it does, that piece is the author's own views. This site hopes to encourage the sharing of as many viewpoints as possible so we can support each other in developing cohousing. But note that only un-named articles can be attributed to the UK Cohousing Network.

Springhill photo © Alexander Caminada.

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This page contains a collection of articles targeted at planners wanting to know more about the cohousing model. Where an article has a named author (just below its title), it expresses the view of that author and is not necessarily the view of the UK Cohousing Network.

• Living Greener, Cheaper, Friendlier: The Policy Case for Eco-clusters and Cohousing
  SEND THIS TO YOUR LOCAL PLANNING AUTHORITY!

If you're a planner, if you work for a local authority, if you're a developer or you have a media/press enquiry, please use the links on the left. Everyone else please read on if you're looking for:

• More information on cohousing
• Cohousing groups near you
• Other people near you that might be interested in cohousing
• First steps towards cohousing, and how this website can help you

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