Homes for the common good gain approval
COHOUSING SCHEME DESCRIBED AS DIFFERENT AND EXCITING
AN INNOVATIVE community of affordable and eco-friendly homes will be coming to Newcastle’s West End. “Very exciting” plans for the North East’s first cohousing scheme were given the thumbs-up by councillors on Friday.
The move will see 25 houses and flats built on the site of the demolished South Benwell School in Buddle Road, as well as a common house containing shared facilities that can be used by all residents.
Cohousing upon Tyne (CoHuT), the group behind the Benwell plans, said the development would “help reduce the social isolation that so many suffer from in today’s society” and cut people’s carbon footprint.
After Newcastle City Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the project, CoHuT member Helen Jarvis said: “We are witnessing an epidemic of loneliness. One in four adults in the UK say that they always or often feel lonely, lack companionship, or feel left out or isolated.
“Cohousing is a neat solution to this, where social interactions are designed into everyday living, for example, sharing a meal in the common house, saying hello when you pick up your post, or popping to the common house for a cup of tea after work and having a chat with whoever else is there.”
Residents will all have access to the large common house, which contains a shared kitchen, dining room, laundry facilities, guest bedrooms, bike storage, and lounge space.
The community will also have a car share scheme and a central courtyard with areas for food growing and socialising.
CoHuT’s Ruth Hayward added: “It has taken eight years and a lot of hard work to get to this stage.
“The project will be an exemplar of eco-housing in the region, which we hope will inspire others. The project is aiming to meet Passivhaus Standard, the gold standard in low energy buildings, with very good insulation and ventilation systems, which mean that only a tiny amount of energy is needed to heat them.
“And we will minimise the use of building materials that have a big impact on the environment, such as cement and steel, and use reclaimed materials where we can.”
City councillors were impressed with the plans, which were described as “very exciting and different” by Labour councillor Paula Holland.
Liberal Democrat Doreen Huddart added that Newcastle “clearly needs more of this kind of development”.