40 BRIEF ENCOUNTERS
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS
Veronica Simpson pays tribute to the blood, sweat, tears, commitment and dedication of a cohousing community and their architect who helped them realise their dreams after 15 years of slog
ON A GLORIOUS May day, I set out to investigate the newly completed Hazelmead Bridport Cohousing scheme – currently the UK’s largest cohousing project, with 53 homes. It was sun and blue skies all the way from Waterloo, and that spirit of spring, of fresh starts and high hopes, was present in the brick and timber-clad terraces that are set into this sloping greenfield site, next to Bridport’s hospital. But as with every cohousing scheme I have
ever encountered, over a decade of blood, sweat and tears, as well as frustrations with funding and run-ins with obtuse planning departments, was poured into this project. Why is cohousing such a hard concept to grasp for local authority planners as well as financers? It brings much-needed affordable housing, with a built-in community committed to looking after it, in perpetuity, and homes that add character to the townscape, unlike the soulless housing units thrown up by volume housebuilders. For the residents, cohousing is, as Barefoot Architects’ director Sam Goss tells us, ‘like having your cake and eating it’. ‘You have your own house, with your own
front door and your own private garden. You also have additional facilities in a common
house, placed at the heart of the development for everyone to use.’ And as with most UK cohousing schemes, these spoils are distributed fairly to those who wouldn’t have the assets to find anything comparable, with local house prices currently in excess of 11 times the average income. Hazelmere is 50% social rent, and 50% shared ownership, with commitments to maintain all dwellings’ affordability in perpetuity (the Community Land Trust, which the cohousing group founded, retains a percentage of the ownership, to keep resale values low). A housing association operates the 14 social rent, one-bedroom apartments in the two blocks. When Goss was brought on board, 15 years
ago, he was 32, and working for Feilden Clegg Bradely in Bath. But he had also just built his parents a rammed earth dwelling in their back garden, completing it in 2010. Te Bridport Cohousing group, which formed in 2008, visited this innovative home during a local green housing festival, and asked if Goss would take the project on, which he did. And it feels clear, talking to him and his
clients, that all the important boxes have been ticked for this new neighbourhood, backing
Left The interiors are filled with light
Right The neighbourhood backs onto an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Above A certain amount is expected of cohousing group members – namely, two hours a week of help in running the community and maintaining the buildings and landscape
onto an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Te six terraces are a mix of two, three and four- bedroom houses. As we walk past the front gardens, there are many bursting with healthy plants, but others a little wilder. We’re told that the ‘unplanted’ gardens are those belonging to NHS staff, who rent six of the homes, as one of the conditions of Bridport Cohousing’s arrangement with the adjacent hospital, in exchange for road access to the site. I can’t imagine a more tranquil place to return to after a long day in A&E. Tey are more forgiving of these members of the community for not contributing to the shared tasks. After all, there is a certain amount expected of you as a member of a cohousing group. Namely, two hours a week of help in running the community and maintaining the buildings and landscape. Says resident Monica King: ‘You have to be a member. And people can’t be considered for living here until they have been a member for six months. You can see how committed they are in that time to the cohousing principles.’ Te community had high aspirations for
sustainability, which Goss has done his best to deliver. He says: ‘Our ambition was for Passivhaus but through D&B [design and build] procurement that wouldn’t have been possible. We went for AECB CarbonLite New Build Standard.’ Timber frames with MMC- insulated panels ensure low-carbon construction, with cladding in brick and larch. All terraces face south, with big, south-facing windows, and smaller north-facing windows. All south-facing roofs have solar panels, which feed into a community micro grid, run by a Bristol-based energy company. Each house has its own in-line air source heat pump, which sits on top of their hot water tank. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery keeps temperatures steady all year round. Te interiors of the homes are impressive: spacious and filled with light. Says Goss: ‘We
PHOTOS: REBECCANOAKES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101
