Larkrise Cohousing
Ecological and affordable housing in Herefordshire, nurturing people, place and
planet for generations.
Welcome to Larkrise
Larkrise cohousing is an innovative, intergenerational, community-led housing project. We are working to the ‘One Planet Living’ framework. We aim to build and provide modest homes that are ecological, affordable and attractive, within beautiful grounds, for now and for future generations. Cohousing offers each person easy access to a number of shared resources. For example: appliances and tools, meals in the common house, a communal vegetable garden, wholesale food ordering and car-pooling.
Larkrise is on a sunny, southwest facing site, with beautiful, wide-ranging views towards Hay Bluff. It lies alongside an existing settlement of houses in Much Birch, Herefordshire. Much Birch is six miles south of Hereford on the A49 Ross-on-Wye road. The village is well served with many amenities, including: a doctor’s surgery, primary school, garage, cricket club, and the Steiner Academy (four minutes away). An hotel, pub, and village shop with a Post Office are also within easy walking distance.
Larkrise is funding an improved and extended footpath along our access road (Tump Lane).
Tump Lane is between two major bus routes, providing regular services between Gloucester, Ross-On-Wye and Hereford, and Monmouth and Hereford.
The Site
Larkrise plans for 20 dwellings of one, two, three or four bed terraced and semi-detached houses. The community hall supports the co-housing ethos of Larkrise. Approximately one third of the site will be green space. The landscaping provides footpaths, wildflower meadows, communal productive gardens, orchard and nut trees.
Larkrise will enhance the existing residential area by adding to its parking spaces, and reinstating and extending its once well-used play area for children’s recreation. There will be parking on site for the residents and guests of Larkrise, including spaces with electric vehicle charging points.
Craft and artisan workshops are planned for the future.
Dwellings and Surroundings
Designed by John Renshaw Architects, Edinburgh, the dwellings will be terraced in three tiers down the sloping site, intersected by an access road for emergency and service vehicles.
Each accessible dwelling will have its own private garden with bin stores and bike sheds. Bat roosting areas, insect bricks and bird boxes will be incorporated into the buildings. On the service roads are temporary parking spaces, interspersed with orchard and nut trees. The main car park will be at the bottom of the site for the safety of children playing.
Common House
One concept behind co-housing is that we all have parts of our houses that we use everyday and other parts that we only use occasionally. These occasional use areas, like guest bedrooms, separate dining rooms and offices make houses more expensive. At Larkrise, we have designed a common house to provide additional spaces for working and hosting, so that the houses themselves can simply provide for our everyday needs. The common house is specifically designed for a multitude of practical uses including; desk-working, cooking, dining, storing and washing facilities. Guest / therapy or home-working rooms will be available. The space will be used to support local, cultural and community activities. Armchairs, books, games and more will provide a cosy, relaxing area for informal get-togethers.
Management of the activities in the common house will be undertaken by the community members.
Building Materials and Methods
Larkrise aims to use innovative building materials and methods. Our intention is to create a built environment that has whole life carbon efficiency. This means we are focused on using materials that are carbon efficient in both their production and application. Materials will be as locally sourced as possible. We are excited to be using hemp fibre insulation. This building material supersedes our intention, as it is a carbon sequestering material. It can be entirely sourced with the UK.
We are also exploring using renewable heat sources that are specifically designed for the types of houses we are building, to create further efficiency in our energy use.
Alongside considering the structure of our houses, we have considered the construction methods. Those chosen will enable minimal disruption of soil and subsequent release of carbon.
Quiet space
In an increasingly frenetic world, with so many competing demands for our time and attention, this silent retreat space in the northwest corner of the site offers a precious opportunity for stillness - a safe setting for the experience of tranquility. The enclosed space will be planted with an herb garden.
Artisan Workshops and Offices
In the northeast corner of the site, we plan for professional artisan workshops and studios to be available for rent, primarily for the artisans and crafters of Larkrise, and then to the wider community. As with the dwellings, they will be built to the highest sustainable standards and be supplied with utilities. They will be accessible to vehicles.
Big Barn
Initially a covered meeting place and storage facility lying alongside the vegetable garden, this will be an area with an infinite number of uses as yet to be fully imagined.
Grounds
The site, overlooking the glorious Herefordshire countryside, is surrounded by native hedging, interwoven with footpaths. Working together, we aim to keep the whole public area well designed, well tended, wildlife friendly and naturally beautiful. The matrix of the site will be seeded and managed as wildflower meadows. The foundational ethos of Larkrise is to tread lightly on the earth - preserving old, planting new, and having fun in the process.
NO DIG Vegetable Garden
Following the teachings of Charles Dowding, a productive fruit and vegetable garden is being developed and will include: NO DIG perennial and annual vegetable beds, compost bins, fruit cages, glass houses, tool sheds and potting sheds. The resulting crops will be used in the common house kitchen and distributed among residents (depending on supply).
Car Park
The car parking area will be surfaced with permeable paving. A car club will be established at Larkrise to serve the wider community. Electric power points will be available for electric cars. Electricity, water and drainage will allow for cleaning of vehicles and sports equipment.
Playscape
Developed in collaboration with Herefordshire council, the vision for this area is to create a rich and complex natural environment for exploration. Utilities and permeable paving will be included here for a pop-up cafe, seating, bike parking and refuse bins.
Photo and Small Play Frame design by Copper Beech Play, Herefordshire.
Now you have an overview of our site, learn more about our vision, values and aims...