community led housing london

Cohousing

St Andrews Place

Self-builders who have purchased a small piece of land for 2 homes with ambitions to create a 5 home cohousing scheme.

A family of self-builders purchased a small piece of Diocese of London land, and have now received planning permission for 2 homes. They are also interested in an adjacent piece of inaccessible land to allow a further 3 units to be built, to create a small cohousing project.

How we’re helping
We provided advice in securing the first site and assisted on negotiating Heads of Terms. We are also advising on the strategy to secure the larger cohousing project.

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Holloway Cohousing

A cohousing community forming part of the Holloway Women’s Prison redevelopment.

The group aims to create a cohousing community of 20-30 households as part of the plans to redevelop the former Holloway Women’s Prison site in Islington. This would be a key part of the overall development of 1,100 homes and community facilities, including the Women’s Building.

They are developing plans in consultation with Peabody Housing Association and wider communities. The group are holding regular meetings to share ideas and encourage anyone interested to join the discussion.

How we’re helping
We have advised on the early stages of building interest from potential members and promoted outreach.

 
Visit their web page

Fleet Cohousing

The group is formed mostly of older households looking to downsize, with a very narrow search area around Dartmouth Park, with clear idea of why they want to be there.
The scheme could include housing for younger people as well as respite care, although they are not looking for new members until the site is clear.

Cohousing London East

A small group looking at building a mixed tenure, inter-generational, eco-community in North East London.

The group have a mix of ages, skills and ethnicities, brought together by shared values and ideals. They hope to build a community where they can live in affordable well-designed homes with others who share that desire. Some members have been researching and networking for some time, and are beginning to develop a group looked at decision-making methods such as sociocracy.

How we’re helping
We are helping clarify objectives, and have previously put them in contact with an interested developer about a site in Lea Bridge.

Visit their Facebook page

Cohousing Harrow

A group of families and individuals looking to build a supportive, mixed tenure cohousing community in Harrow.

They have been meeting regularly to establish their shared objectives and have a desire for a scheme of 20-25 homes. They have been researching different incorporation options, including Mutual Home Ownership by attending training and workshops.

How we’re helping
We have held workshops to clarify their membership and prioritise their objectives and have held seminar/training sessions to look at outline schemes, indicative costs, and the financial capacity of the group. We are now beginning to support a more systematic search for sites.

Visit their website