With outline planning permission secured, Cambridge’s first cohousing project is moving into its next exciting stages.
The K1 project is now well underway with the process of selecting the preferred developer in conjunction with Cambridge City Council.
After eighteen months of collaborative work, with support from the Homes and Communities Agency, the Council and planners, the K1 members (who have formed a company called Cambridge Cohousing Ltd) are getting closer to realising their vision.
The idea is to “design and build a beautiful place to live, to the highest sustainability standards, and in the process build a strong and cohesive community”.
Around 40 new homes are earmarked for the K1 site at Orchard Park, North Cambridge.
It’s a unique opportunity in Cambridge. There are still a few places open for people interested in the chance to participate in creating their home within this visionary development.
There will be an Open Morning on 20 June in Orchard Park for anyone interested in finding out about the scheme or how to join it. There’s also full information at www.cambridge-k1.co.uk.
The next stage of the project will be for the chosen developer to work with the K1 members, the planners and local authorities on the detailed design proposals.
K1 shows what’s possible when people get together to create something new in their community. It will certainly be breaking new ground in the city, being its first cohousing scheme.
Each household will have their own energy efficient home and private space, but the residents will spend time with each other as a community on a regular basis.
Using a creative consensus decision-making process, K1 members want to achieve an environment where neighbours know each other, work together to create social opportunities and lives that are sociable and child friendly, through the inclusion of car free areas, communal gardens and a Common House.