co-housing in the UK, any info? :-)

Hi, all just joined up thought I've stopped by a few times to read up on permaculture - particularly cob/bale building and tips for growing food ...

Anyway, our family and a couple of others are just looking at houses together with a view to forming a consensus based intentional community. We're all families with kids (of varying ages) in which all the adults (at least) profess faith in Jesus. We're looking to buy in or near the city that two of the families currently live in. Permaculture/Eco-living is likely to be a partial focus for us.

I've been searching for information about how to go about getting mortgages, what legal structures (if any) we should/could adopt. If there are any gotchas or must-dos that we should be looking out for, particularly any specific to the UK.

Thanks for any feedback, pointers, information.

Hi pbhj,

Try out the house of the open door ...

http://www.houseoftheopendoor.org/

...perhaps they can help you firm up some of your ideas. I'm sure there are others but it's the only place I've visited.

Thanks for that - that community is not so far away from us either; a day trip may be in order.

Would be happy for any other info/suggestions from others who stop by too, thanks.

Hi pbhj,

another thought, not co-housing as such, but you might also find the De Hoxar's place worth a visit. Not only is it in a really great setting for some time away in its own right, they've structured things in a very efficient way regarding having interns (just in case your community should ever decide to do so). If you do decide to go, try to go when the proprietors are around. A chat with Robert about their setup may be worth while.

http://www.fathershousebala.org/ is the website.

There is an ecovillage at Findhorn in Moray on the coast. It has been established for many years as a sustainable community. I believe Forres (nearby town) has a great many transition initiatives too.
The link will tell you more about Findhorn than I can
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Findhorn_Ecovillage

Diggers and Dreamers may be hard to find, but it is a pamphlet that serves as a directory for many co-housing and intentional community projects.