Southway Housing is currently working in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University to learn more about cohousing and is keen to have a conversation with you about this exciting new approach to housing.
If you're a Southway tenant and over 50 years old, we'd like to know your thoughts on cohousing and what you feel the benefits would be for you. We'd also like to know if you'd like to help Southway and Manchester Metropolitan University investigate the potential for developing a cohousing project in South Manchester.
What is cohousing?
Don’t worry if you're not sure what cohousing is or what it would mean for you, most people haven’t heard of it before, and we're here to guide you through it. To help you, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a generally accepted definition and then share some examples of existing cohousing schemes around the UK.
"Cohousing communities are "intentional communities, created and run by their residents". Each household has a self-contained, private home as well as shared community space. Residents come together to manage their community, share activities, and regularly eat together. Cohousing is a way of resolving the isolation many people experience today, recreating the neighbourly support of the past. This can happen anywhere, in your street or by building new/using empty homes to start a new community. Cohousing communities can be intergenerational, welcoming anyone of any age and any family structure, or specifically cater for people who are older or are communities of common interest, for example, women or LGBT groups”
cohousing.org.uk
Examples of some great cohousing schemes in the UK
Lilac
Lilac stands for ‘Low Impact Affordable Community’ and they are a cohousing scheme in Leeds. They have 20 eco-friendly households built using straw bales. You can find out more about them here or watch this video:
Chapeltown Cohousing (ChaCO)
You may have seen Chapeltown Cohousing on the BBC series ‘Our Lives’, where 33 families came together to literally build their own community, also in Leeds. You can find out more about this amazing project here or you can watch this video:
New Ground Cohousing
New Ground is the first older women's co-housing scheme in the UK. You can find out more here: New Ground Cohousing
Lancaster Cohousing
Lancaster Cohousing is also made up of eco-built houses where the residents want to live a lower-impact lifestyle. You can find out more here or watch this great TEDx Talks video by Alison Cahn about the benefits of cohousing:
Want to find out more?
If you're a Southway tenant, over 50 years old and would like to find out more about how you can get involved with our cohousing project, please email Paul Greenwood at p.greenwood@southwayhousing.co.uk or you can come along to talk to us at the following drop-in events.
Barlow Moor Community Centre: 4th March 10am-12pm - 23 Merseybank Avenue M21 7NT
Withington Library: 5th March 1-3pm - 410 Wilmslow Road M20 3BD
St Catherine's Community Centre: 6th March 1-3pm - School Lane M20 6HS
Burnage Library: 12th March 1-3pm - Burnage Lane M19 1EW
Westcroft Community Centre: 19th March 10-12pm - 26 Westcroft Road M20 6EF