Lancaster Cohousing partners with The Centre @ Halton on Lottery Bid

Lancaster Cohousing and The Centre @ Halton are through to the second round of a Local Food Lottery Bid. If successful, the project, to be called 'Food Matters', will include:

• a 'community supported agriculture' scheme working with a local farmer.
• 'grow, cook and eat' events in The Centre @ Halton
• residential weekends for groups from all over the country to experience living and eating in an intentional community
• an education programme for local schools and community groups to get involved with growing, cooking and eating local food.

www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

Fifty canoeists offer a helping hand

Local canoe clubs turned out en masse at the site in Halton to give us a hand doing the final push on land clearance this weekend. Many thanks to all involved!

www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

It's for real!

Members of Lancaster Cohousing are getting their hands dirty. Since plans were approved to redevelop a 2.5 hectare site on the River Lune at Halton near Lancaster, things have been moving on apace.

As a group we have been land clearing and salvaging prior to the building contractor making a start. Everybody is having an input with regard to soft and edible communal landscaping and everything seems a lot more real now that we have decided on doors, windows, door handles, taps, floor boards and other interior details.

Exciting social happenings too are afoot, such as our communal meals, films and visits. Hurry to grab one of the 6 homes remaining of the 34 in the first phase of the development, or come to a Sunday brunch at the Whale Tail in Lancaster - we hold them on the 4th weekend of each month. See our website for more details.

Press release: eco-housing gets go ahead

Members of local community group Lancaster Cohousing are celebrating after Lancaster City Council’s planning committee approved their plans to redevelop a 2.5 hectare derelict site by the River Lune at Halton, near Lancaster, to provide 40 new private homes, shared indoor and outdoor space and managed business space. The cohousing group is a mix of individuals, couples and families of all ages whose aim is to build eco-homes of a cutting edge sustainable design and create a friendly, supportive neighbourhood.

The 1 bedroom flats, and 2 and 3 bedroom terraced houses will be built to the super-insulated Passivhaus standard and will form the largest Passivhaus development in the UK. Together with the hydro scheme being developed with the local community, this design will ensure a very low carbon footprint.

Each household will have their own home and there will also be shared facilities, including a laundry, child care area and workshops, and a common house, where residents can, if they wish, cook and eat together. This mix will ensure residents have their own space whilst encouraging social contact enabling them to build connections with their neighbours.

The derelict factory building on site, covering an area of 1200m², is to be refurbished to provide a mixture of serviced workshops, offices and studios for small businesses, organisations and individuals. Located in an attractive area, the units will enjoy a local and personal management service, shared facilities and a zero carbon energy supply, and will be available on flexible terms.

Project manager Jon Sear said: “This is a really important milestone for us. It means we can now start the detailed design work, get the necessary funding agreements in place and appoint a building contractor to work with us. If people wish to join the project, there are still a few homes available to buy and business units to rent.”

Construction on the site should begin early in 2011, aiming for completion of 34 of the 40 homes by Spring 2012.

Contact: Jon Sear
14 Kenilworth Place, Lancaster, LA1 4HE
telephone: 01524 555919
email: jon@lancastercohousing.org.uk
www.lancastercohousing.org.uk