TOWN is delighted to announce that K1 Cohousing was yesterday granted planning permission by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

At 11 votes in favour to 1 against, the council decided overwhelmingly in favour of the proposal for Cambridge’s first cohousing development – one of only a handful nationwide.

There was plenty of debate about the things that make a cohousing scheme different from a regular housing development – the inherently stronger sense of community, lower car parking provision and how the community will manage the place in the future. One committee member even wondered whether there would be ‘free love’ – but as the Chairman dutifully reminded us, that is not technically a planning matter!

Also important to the committee was understanding how K1 Cohousing will integrate with and complement Orchard Park and Cambridge once it is built. Will it be inward looking, or exclusive, or will it be part of the wider community? For the future residents, the answer is very clear – in K1, Orchard Park will gain 42 new households intrinsically committed to Orchard Park, Cambridge, and South Cambridgeshire, who will be active and engaged members of the wider community right from the start.

As a custom build vanguard, South Cambridgeshire is now at the forefront of delivering much-needed new models of housing in the UK, and today’s decision is firm evidence that they are taking that commitment seriously.

The next stage for TOWN is to crack on with detailed design with our partners at Trivselhus and the professional team prior to appointing a contractor in late summer.

This is the start of an exciting period of time for Cambridge Cohousing members too – some of whom have been involved in making this project a reality since 2010. In the coming weeks members will be asked to finalise their customisation choices – including floorplans and fit–outs – before contracts are exchanged and construction commences later this year.

There are still a limited number of homes at K1 that haven’t yet been reserved. Anyone interested in joining up can find out more at www.cambridge-k1.co.uk.

See our press release following yesterday’s decision.