Ireland’s first co-housing project, Common Ground, is being launched in Co Wicklow.
The project consists of 26 households – comprising 35 adults and 24 children – who will repay one common loan on, and own shares in, the housing estate.
The model is based on Lilac (low impact living affordable community), a project in Leeds. Lilac’s homes, built in 2012 and 2013, and land are managed by its 20 residents, through a mutual home ownership society, a pioneering financial model and legal structure.
Common Ground’s residents work in many fields including, architecture, small business, health, disability services, horticulture and education, but despite earning good salaries say they are mostly unable to meet the stringent lending criteria imposed by banks, and find the cost of private renting prohibitive.
Formed in 2018, Common Ground is run on a sociocracy governance model where everyone is equal. They are now looking for a bank to offer finance; the single joint mortgage means each household would have a manageable payment – a third of their income.
Residents have already each raised 10% of the build cost – around €20,000 (£17,000) per household, or €500,000 (£425,000) in total.
If they succeed in finding finance, the project will use specialist building and landscaping techniques to reduce environmental impact and encourage a sense of community; this will include minimal use of plastics and pollutants; rainwater and organic waste recycling facilities; and an on-site community garden.
It adds: “Healthy communities provide for their members and we aim to create a community which is resilient, affordable, and environmentally sensitive; a community that is run by our members and embraces diversity and difference; a community which allows for equal participation and provides opportunities for engagement, celebration and fun while respecting the need for individual privacy and space.”
