Affordable Cohousing Plan for Bridport Sparks Interest
Bridport Cohousing held another successful public meeting on Monday 30th November to present their plans for affordable housing in Bridport. The meeting was held primarily for people who responded to a mailshot sent to 750 people on the Housing Register. They were sent a questionnaire to assess local interest, following encouragement from West Dorset District Council that the group should identify the level of interest in cohousing from people needing affordable housing in the Bridport area.
About 40 people attended, including current members of the group, who were able to answer questions and help explain the benefits of Cohousing, compared with a normal housing development. The Cohousing Group hope to build 30 new ecological dwellings in Bridport in partnership with Synergy, the largest Housing Association in Dorset.
Richard Sanders and Lorraine Lennox of Weymouth and Portland Housing Association, part of the Synergy Group, also spoke at the meeting and provided guidance on potential rent levels for the affordable units, scope for shared-ownership purchases, and how to register an interest. Richard Sanders also spoke of Synergy’s role in creating the Threshold Cohousing Centre in North Dorset, and of the good response to the affordable units being offered there.
Bridport Cohousing is a non-profit group, set up and run by local people, to help meet the local need for affordable housing. In addition to homes for people on the Housing Register, the group aims to offer units for owner-occupiers at affordable prices, ranging in size from one bedroom apartments to four bedroom houses.
Cohousing aims to create a neighbourhood where people help each other out, and which is a safe space for children, older people and others. The group aims for a high level of sustainability in building design, with a shared heating system running on wood fuel and achieving zero carbon emissions. Other measures to cut both living costs and carbon emissions are a community market garden, car pooling and ride sharing.
Bridport Cohousing wants to offer facilities and services which would benefit the whole locality: for example the common house could be used by local groups for meetings and other functions, and a car club might be created for the whole town.
One of the innovative features of cohousing is that potential residents work with the architect, housing association and other professionals to choose the site, decide on shared facilities, and agree on the layout of the dwellings. The existing group is keen to hear from other local people, especially those eligible for the Housing Register, who would like to register their interest and have some active involvement in the project.
More public meetings and events are being planned. For more information, read ‘getting involved’ and contact us.