Just as Bridport Cohousing launches its community share fund, the mayor of Bridport is praising the affordable development.

The group wants to raise £732,000 for a common house and you can find out more here.

He said: "In the field adjacent to Bridport Hospital there is something very exciting happening.

"Ground breaking is a term used to describe all manner of innovations, but on this occasion, what is happening is truly ground breaking because emerging from the broken ground is the largest cohousing project in the UK."

Cllr Bark met with Hugh King and Lin Scrannage, members of the cohousing group, to find out more about the scheme of 53 homes.

Twenty-six of the one-bed flats and two, three and four-bedroom houses will be for social rent through the housing association and 27 will be of leasehold purchase at either 80 per cent of the market value or through Help To Buy South and available from 25 to 75 per cent of the market value. Because the highest rate of purchasing a home is 80 percent and there is no 'right to buy' on the rented homes, this will ensure affordability for generations to come.

Cllr Bark added: "From the outset of the scheme, addressing climate change and biodiversity loss has been central to its ethos. In addition, building a community and sharing resource are also seen as two of the most important things we can do for the better and the members of Bridport Cohousing agree to live with these things in mind."

He was told about the development's neighbourhood-wide electricity network using roof mounted PVs, a battery and connection to the local grid. More can be found in the mayor's blog here.

He said: "Every housing development in Bridport from this point on needs to heed this innovative approach to energy supply.

"The science tells us that we are careering towards climate catastrophe, and the technology is now readily available to play a significant part in mitigating it.

"The Bridport Cohousing group is a courageous bunch who are showing the rest of the housebuilding industry how it should be done.

"I am really impressed by what the Bridport Cohousing group has achieved thus far and am looking forward to having the opportunity to visit the site when it is completed."

To read the mayor's blog in full, visit Bridport-tc.gov.uk

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