community led housing london

Cohousing

Squeezed London

Squeezed London are a diverse group of “squeezed middle” Tower Hamlets residents, who came together to build their own affordable homes, after attending LB Tower Hamlets Self Build Forum, a regular meeting organised by the local authority for people on their self build register.

How we’re helping
Squeezed London have been working with our associate advisers to establish ways of working as a group and put together their business case. We helped to clarify their organisational structure, and introduced them to a Housing Association interested in offering small sites for CLH whilst securing close to market value. We supported the group’s due diligence and offer for the site, although this was ultimately not close enough to what the landowner was seeking.
The group subsequently prepared proposals for the Lark Row site through Tower Hamlets’ affordable self build programme, and were selected as preferred bidder. We are currently supporting them in various aspects of the development process.

 

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Older Women’s
Co-Housing

Older Women’s Co-Housing are a group of women over fifty who are the first senior co-housing community in the UK. Hanover Housing Association forward funded the scheme and OWCH moved in to ‘New Ground’ in 2016.

Number of homes 25 homes (8 for rent from a HA)
Location High Barnet
Project Stage Built 2016
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How they formed
OWCH came together as a group of women over fifty in 2003 to have friendly, helpful neighbours as they got older, as an alternative to living alone. Before moving in, the group met once a month for a shared meal, went on trips and ran workshops to prepare for living alongside one another. They are a fully mutual company, who manage their community through regular group meetings and a small elected management committee. Small service teams take care of the building, garden and outward-facing activities like membership and communications. Non-resident members join the group for events and activities, so vacancies can be filled as they arise.

Site
As OWCH wished to include women who lack equity and therefore need a rent they can afford, the group looked at partnering with housing associations. After some time searching, they convinced Hanover Housing Association to employ a site finder who sourced a number of sites and the group chose a school site for sale on the private market. The Hanover bought the site and forward-funded the development scheme.

Finance
Although the Housing Association financed site acquisition and construction, the prospective buyers paid 10% deposits. This helped de-risk the project for Hanover as all homes were presold or pre-let before construction started. Future tenants were also required to make a non-refundable ‘commitment payment’ to OWCH which was graduated by tenure, but substantial enough for individuals to consider carefully their allegiance to the project. On completion, Hanover sold 17 homes to OWCH buyers and 8 to Housing for Women, a small housing association, to act as landlord for the socially rented units. Housing for Women financed this with private charitable grants, giving them greater flexibility to allocate to OWCH members.

Design and Construction
The 2-3 bed flats are clustered around a walled garden and all have their own patio or balcony. There is a communal meeting room with kitchen and dining areas and residents share a laundry, allotment and guest room. Hanover hired Pollard Thomas Edwards to design the scheme and worked in participation with OWCH. The group also had representation on the project and site teams.

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Copper Lane Cohousing

London’s first cohousing project shows how sharing some spaces supports community life and makes the houses more compact.

 

Number of homes 6 market value homes
Location Stoke Newington
Project Stage Built 2014

How they formed
The residents came together to do things collectively, sharing things such as gardens and laundry and workshop facilities.

The founding members of the group formed a non-profit company limited by guarantee. The site and common parts are owned by the company. Individual homes are owned on 999-year leases by leaseholders who are also directors of the company. They meet once a month to sort out collective business.

Site
The site had an abandoned set of buildings formerly used as a nursery, surrounded by the backs of terraced houses on all sides. Three of the current residents who lived nearby, spotted the site for sale without planning permission and bought the site together.

Finance
The group sold their homes to finance the purchase of the land and moved into rented accommodation. Once planning permission was secured, they were able to obtain individual mortgages from Ecology Building Society.

Design and Construction
Clustered around a raised central courtyard with a communal space beneath, five of the six houses have internal doors to a shared laundry, workshop and hall which saves space in individual houses and encourages a neighbourly community, surrounded by communal gardens.

The scheme was designed by Henley Halebrown. The homes are sunk 1.2 metres into the ground meaning they do not overshadow neighbouring houses. The orientation of buildings and placement of windows also minimise overlooking.

Trees on the site were kept where possible and high-grade timber and brick cladding were used to blend in with the vegetation and surrounding back gardens. High levels of energy efficiency are achieved with a well-insulated structure, triple glazing, heat recovery ventilation, solar thermal water heating and airtight construction techniques.

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