We support people making homes together through Cohousing, Community Land Trusts, and Housing Co-operatives
New Cut is a fully mutual housing co-operative built in 1991. It became fully independent soon after being completed. There are 41 homes with shared facilities including a communal garden.
They were looking to develop additional units for older members on a small car park area they own, which would free up homes for new members.
How we’re helping
We supported an initial feasibility and viability study, although the co-op did not take it further.
LOLC are working on a mutually supportive mixed-tenure cohousing project in north-east London, future proofing the homes for their changing needs. Stonewall’s ‘Building Safe Choices’ report found older LGBT people are more likely to be single, live alone and rely on external services due to lack of informal support. The culture of retirement and sheltered homes can be isolating and LOLC intend to create an inclusive and safe space, contributing to innovative approaches to ageing.
The group are working in partnership with a large Housing Association to build around 20 units of which 25-30% will be affordably rented, with the remainder available under the Older People’s Shared Ownership scheme or bought outright.
The co-founders met to research and develop the idea before holding their first public meeting in April 2016. There are currently 19 members, who pay a £10 monthly contribution for travel, printing and room hire costs. LOLC are a Company Limited by Guarantee in which all full members are directors with voting rights. New members go through a joining process before becoming a full member. Decisions are made by consensus and the roles of Chair and Secretary are rotated, while the Treasurer is a fixed role.
How we’re helping
LOLC attended our launch event in 2017 where they met housing associations, social investors and architects. They worked with our associate adviser Maria Brenton to engage potential partners and developed a positive relationship with L&Q around a site in Waltham Forest. We have since supported their dialogues with L&Q as landowner and enabling developer, and Womens Pioneer HA as landlord of the affordable homes.
Arcadia are looking to build affordable, inter-generational housing in East London. As a group, they met through church, and have visited other community led housing projects and attended various workshops to establish their vision and values.
They hope to have shared spaces such as a kitchen and garden where residents can socialise, in addition to their own personal living space. They are looking to incorporate provision for the elderly and/or disabled in their scheme, and work on bringing the wider community in, living out the Christian principle “love your neighbour as yourself”.
They are looking to build 5-10 submarket leasehold homes. It is anticipated individual leases will have a resale price covenant imposed through a sec 106, to protect any affordability in the homes in perpetuity
How we’re helping
We have supported Arcadia to incorporate as a Community Interest Company, think through their objects and open a bank account. Households will be directors of the company working with participatory decision making. We also helped them commission financial modelling, and prepare proposals to redevelop a church site in Tower Hamlets.
London CLT secured the site through the GLA’s Small Sites Small Builders programme, to deliver affordable homes linked to local incomes, following local organising and membership building around the site.
The local group drew up a brief together, with a vision for the site, and used this to tender for an architect. Nearly fifty people cast their vote for one of four shortlisted architects they wanted to work with to design the homes.
How we’re helping
We supported legal work to finalise a funding agreement with the Greater London Authority.
Sanford are looking to expand housing and provide community facilities on their own land.
Sanford is a fully mutual housing co-operative in South East London. Initiated by housing activists in the late sixties who lobbied government to establish more coops. In 1973, Lewisham Council agreed to hand over the derelict site on Sanford Street for a pilot project, which became the first purpose built housing co-op in the UK.
Today there are around 125 tenant-members living in 14 houses and a block of flats. Each house is occupied by between 8-10 tenants. Each member is allocated their own bedroom and shares a kitchen, living room and three toilets. There are six self-contained flats in the block which include a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. Residents enjoy shared gardens growing organic vegetables and a system of ponds and permaculture. They also have a new bike store.
How we’re helping
Members wished to expand and provide a new community and performance space. We awarded funding for feasibility of future development. The co-op reached internal agreement over a brief, shortlisted architects, and ran a competition process in order to appoint Hayatsu Architects. Feasibility is now underway we are also advising on financial modelling.