DORSCOH

DORSET COHOUSING COMMUNITY: An outline

 
1. INTRODUCTION

 Dorscoh is a plan to create a small co-housing community of 12-16 people in a rural setting in Dorset . Co-housing combines self-contained dwelling units with shared social facilities. Our aim is to create a small, informal community with shared values, linked with the wider community around us. We want to create a group with diversity of age, including couples and single individuals. We have found a suitable property in North Dorset at Cole Street Farm, Cole Street Lane, Gillingham , and the first residents moved in during November 2004.

2. THE VISION

 An informal community, living more sustainably in the full sense: personally, as a group, spiritually and ecologically. We want to embody sustainable living to nourish our lives and the wider community, and to show it can be done. Important qualities of community for us are:

• Serving something greater than our own needs
• Mutual support

• Shared values and commitments
• Clarity and integrity in how we communicate and relate to each other
• Respect for each other’s autonomy

We want to create a community with a spiritual dimension. For us, the spiritual dimension mainly means:

• Simple, non-doctrinal, shared practices such as: sharing silence together (meditation), having a blessing at mealtimes, starting a job of work with a short attunement (brief silence, becoming fully present).
• Wanting to deepen our spiritual awareness in everyday life and work, for example by embodying mindfulness, integrity, right livelihood, care for each other, serving the highest good, joyfulness and gratitude.
• Acceptance and support for each other’s individual spiritual paths

Phase 1 is the purchase of a property. A suitable property has been found near Gillingham , in North Dorset . The property comprises a large farmhouse with 7 holiday cottages converted from former farm buildings, and 2 more barns for conversion to residential/work/community space. There is a self-contained therapy room, and gardens: total area 1 acre.

A group of 6 people (6 households) currently form the Phase 1 Group, and have funded the purchase of the property. Most of this group are living in the property while design work is undertaken and the planning application is being processed. We will effectively be a pilot project for the larger Natural Living Centre, a nearby site for which is being actively explored : see www.ruralrenewal.co.uk

We plan to start a market garden nearby and to create some on-site employment. We have a wide variety of professional skills between us and intend to offer educational activities, eco-tourism, individual sessions and retreat groups covering eco/healthy living in the broadest sense, from the food you eat to the house you live in to true self-awareness. We also intend to have lots of fun and laughter along the way!

If the vision appeals to you and you would like to be involved, please get in touch as soon as possible. We are actively seeking to bring the Phase One core group numbers up to at least seven. Ideally we would like to enlist those with capital and/or practical skills such as architectural design, building construction project management, education, or market gardening. There is also the possibility of renting a unit. Also, ideally we would like to balance up the current age and gender mix by recruiting members under 50, more men and couples. Self-contained accommodation of varying sizes is available.

Phase 2 will be residents who join after receipt of planning permission and conversion work to create more living and working space. We already have several potential Phase Two residents, and we welcome applications from others. Achieving diversity, and a good range of group skills which can benefit the project and the neighbourhood are two of our priorities in the recruitment of Phase Two residents. We hope to be able to accommodate Phase Two members by Spring 2006

4. SHARED DELIGHTS

• living in a quiet, attractive, rural location accessible to nearby town
• having a shared market garden
• a community which offers support and companionship and enables each household to maintain a good degree of independence.
• having a community with a spiritual quality, combining simple shared spiritual practices with support for different individual spiritual paths
• scope for some people to work on site, with shared and individual workspaces
• being part of the wider community, with people visiting us and vice versa
• good listening and expression
• safety and support to grow in a non-judgmental environment
• a nurturing and supportive context, both spiritually and practically

5. SHARED DESIRES (‘Membership criteria’)

Shared values: Mutual support, appreciation, mutual respect. Service to the highest good; simple spiritual practices such as attunement, shared silence. Sustainability: human and environmental.

Process skills: Willingness to handle any disagreements and negative feelings clearly, openly, and constructively, evolving shared processes to do so.

Diversity: A mix of ages; some couples/families, not all singles, and a mix of income levels/ capital as far as possible.

Finance: For most members, enough capital or borrowing capacity to purchase their property and contribute to the whole. Ability to sustain own income.

Community participation: Willing to join in (for example) two meetings per month, and to gift (for example) half a day per week to the running/maintenance of the project (this could be market garden, admin, cleaning shared areas etc).

Willing to join in community-shared meals – up to 4 per week, or as many as prove practical. Shared meals will be vegetarian.

Delight: A shared desire to create an informal community which is enjoyable and supportive, where we like working and playing together, and which gives us individual space too.

6. FINANCE AND LEGAL ORGANISATION

A Limited Company has been set up to purchase the property. Most of the finance is structured as loans from the prospective residents. We also have loan facilities available from the Co-operative Bank to top this up as necessary. Once the planning permission is received and conversion work completed, the company will sell long leases on residential units, repaying the loans, and will retain ownership of the shared facilities. The company will be controlled by the residents. We already have group agreements both for the purchase/development and the residency phases.

One essential feature is that the owners of individual units should be free to sell their dwelling and share in any general rise in house prices. However, it will also be essential that purchasers are acceptable to the rest of the group and accept the group’s shared values.

7. CONTACT INFORMATION AND HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you are potentially interested in becoming a Phase One resident, please contact Caroline Sharman or Gay Ellis without delay, tel: 01747 821929. Also contact Caroline or Gay if you are interested in Phase 2. email - or

To create the building conversion plan and manage its implementation, we are seeking help with professional skills, paid or unpaid, such as project management and architectural design.

The initial legal and other professional fees to start the project are likely to total several thousand pounds, and we will share what we learn with other cohousing groups. We would also welcome help with secured, interest-free loans during the building conversion work. If you would like to help with these costs, please contact or send a donation cheque (payable to Bridcoh Development Association) to Jane Stott, Cole Street Farm, Cole Street Lane, Gillingham , Dorset. Tel: 01747 821906

If you have skills or contacts to help with project development please contact Alan Heeks, Tel: 01747-835835 or e-mail: .

If you would like background information on the larger project, there are two websites set up by Alan Heeks, the project initiator – www.thevillageforest.com and www.ruralrenewal.co.uk.