An intentional community with a vision for a communal living and working environment, governed by the occupants.
A group of young freelancers in private rent looking to incorporate as a co-op and provide small private living spaces alongside communal live/work space.
How we’re helping
We have explained incorporation options and implications, advised on site searching and getting a better understanding of their financial position, and helped with a proposal brochure.
Fountain Self Build Group was established in 2015, by group of Waltham Forest residents in overcrowded households. Their aim is to create a sustainable community of social and genuinely affordable rented homes, meeting the needs of the self-build group.
Inspired by the Headway Self Build project, the group are looking to partner with a housing association who could forward-fund the scheme and build homes to a watertight shell. Members would then self-finish the scheme with last-fix carpentry and decorating and have approached a local college to collaborate with on the training.
How we’re helping
We have provided Adviser sessions about their approach, and explored the possibility of a relationship with Clarion and other partners.
Otherwise Living is a multistakeholder co-operative with a vision for sustainable urban living to create a healthy, self managed neighbourhood, based in Queens Park.
Their vision is of small private living spaces integrated with large and varied community spaces for many purposes with people of different generations and skills living together. This becomes a place for self-determined living bringing together food, learning, homespaces, smallfunds, wellbeing and workspace.
Otherwise Living aims to create a distinct sense of neighbourhood, which is integrated into the surrounding local area, and explores alternatives to consumerism and over-consumption, while expanding the notions of family, education, community and neighbourhood.
How we’re helping
We will be providing advice on a greater focus on the project scope, finances, and deliverability.
Affordable housing by the community for the community.
Brent CLT was established in response to the lack of local affordable housing across Brent, when the Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum originally included a commitment to explore community-led housing locally in their Neighbourhood Plan.
A steering group identified a development site in collaboration with Brent Council. They recruited more members and volunteers from across the borough, and developed a functional brief through a series of capacity studies and workshops.
The site lends itself to a modular or pre-fabricated construction, which it is hoped will minimise construction costs. They are looking at a rented scheme aimed at homeless single people and couples, and are looking for more members to join locally and get involved.
How we’re helping
We facilitated meetings on organisational structure and have supported work on project vision and viability. There has been funding from the council for a project coordinator, and we are helping to assemble the professional team, and explore modern methods of construction, as the concept is formalised.
Zahra are a fully mutual housing co-op looking to build affordable homes suitable for multi-generational living. Several generations living together can bring many social benefits including help with childcare as well as health and wellbeing benefits for older relatives.
As private renters, they have found most rented properties on the market unsuitable for such larger families, and are also looking for stability and security of tenure.
Zahra attended several workshops held by Harrow Council, and registered the co-op to explore community led housing on small sites in the borough. The co-op intends to be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the homes.
How we’re helping
We have been working to clarify options and their implications and helping Zahra commission financial modelling and capacity studies on a small redundant garage site. We helped pull this together into a business plan clarifying governance. This was well received by the council, who gained cabinet approval for the principle of transferring a number of sites for CLH projects.
We supported Zahra in the selection of their professional team and have had pre-application meetings to help in refining the scheme with further detail. The designs produced by Civic introduce 4 homes respecting nearby trees and continuing the building line to create two small courtyards. A scheme improving parking for neighbouring residents, was recently submitted for planning permission.
We have also led conversations on finance and viability and the practicalities of RP status. We have devised an innovative low deposit Shared Ownership tenure, with a cap on maximum staircasing to ensure the homes remain affordable in perpetuity.