Foodies’ favourites
Co-housing group eyes Edinburgh farmhouse as a fulcrum for its activities, tackling social isolation and energy inefficiency, reports Ilona Amos
Scott and Laura Smith, owners of Edinburgh’s Fhior restaurant, on the food they love - Scotch eggs and Lindt chocolate – and who they’d invite to a dinner party.
Ahistorical Edinburgh mansion rescued from demolition by the campaigning actions of local residents could be at the centre of a pioneering co-housing development if new plans go ahead.
Comiston Farmhouse, an imposing detached villa built in the 19th Century, is set within an acre of grounds on the city’s southern edge. Most recently, it was used by The City of Edinburgh Council’s social work department as a residential support unit for teenagers, until the facility closed in January 2015.
The plot was due to be sold to developers to be turned into housing, but the sale fell through following widespread local opposition to the plans and the property has been put back on the market by the council.
Now, the newly founded Comiston Co-housing Group is readying itself to bid for the property, which it hopes to transform into a novel community of affordable and eco-friendly shared-ownership homes, with communal facilities including on-site work spaces, gardens, guest rooms and pool cars.
Co-housing schemes are popular in Scandinavia and other places in Europe, but Comiston would be the first scheme of its kind in Scotland if plans come to fruition.
The proposal is part of what its supporters view as “fundamental and badly needed change to how housing is delivered in Scotland”.
The group has set out its mission, stating: “The dream is to create a diversity of house sizes and varying models of tenure to ensure affordability for all.
“The design will reflect a realistic balance between environmental efficiency and cost.
“The development will strive to have as low an ecological impact as possible; homes will be energyefficient, we’ll minimise the use of cars, share facilities, grow food in a shared garden, and even generate our own energy.”
Liz Murdoch, an NHS mental health nurse, works with Comiston Co-housing Group and hopes to live in the new community. She says: “Co-housing offers a way of living which, while offering each household an independent home unit, makes sharing more possible
Co-housing offers a way of living which makes sharing more possible than in a conventional setting
than in a conventional setting, such as a tenement stair or district.
“Sharing facilities with other residents, offering facilities to the local neighbourhood, some affordable housing provision and a spirit of innovation and environmental awareness will reduce social isolation as well as help to reduce global climate impact.”
Jan Woolley, another group member, is passionate about the concept and also wants to set up home at Comiston if the bid is successful. She says: “As a single and retired person, the things I have valued most during lockdown are a communal outdoor space and good neighbours, and that’s what co-housing offers.
“Instead of making friends with your neighbours, you are making your friends into neighbours.
“Friendships are developed by working together with the simple ambition of creating an affordable and sustainable place to live.
“Houses should be for living in, not an investment for profit.
“Those who have upfront capital will support those that don’t, but in the longer term everyone will have a share in the ownership of what we have built.”
The group is a spin-off from Co-housing in Southern Scotland (CHOISS). Architect Dr Richard Atkins, who is working with CHOISS on the Comiston project, says: “Co-housing means people have their own homes – healthy, energy-efficient, accessible and stylish – but also access to shared areas to mix with other people when they choose.
“Co-housing addresses the financial, environmental challenges of modern living, focusing very much on affordable, sustainable living in attractive homes within friendly communities.
“This project will also return Comiston Farmhouse to being an asset to the local community and demonstrate that co-housing is affordable and replicable on a wide scale.”
Comiston Farmhouse is the only remaining early Victorian farmhouse in the south of Edinburgh. Recent research has revealed copy drawings of the house dated 1859, and it is now considered highly probable they were from the pen of architect William Notman, who worked under William Henry Playfair.
The closing date for bids for Comiston Farmhouse is expected to fall at the end of this month.