A land owning family and an expert in eco-construction and sustainable development have joined forces to help create an exciting and rare community housing opportunity in rural South Somerset. With the overall vision agreed, the project is now seeking individuals who would be interested in joining the initiative and become founder core group members of the project team to drive it forward.
Bridge Farm Cohousing Project is located between Yeovil and Ilminster and consists of a cohesive complex of a farmhouse, extensive farm buildings, both traditional (Victorian era) and modern, mostly arranged around several courtyards. It has excellent quality growing land included of approximately 8 acres with more land and woodland potentially available. A feasibility exercise has established that the site would convert well to residential units for up to 25 people, plus some communal buildings as meeting/creative space, dining area, kitchen and utility, together with additional workshop units. The buildings lend themselves to self renovation allowing people to purchase plots/shells and convert them themselves. With the workshop units there is also scope for live-work options on the site.
The idea was the brainchild of Julian Brooks, who currently lives in Haselbury Plucknett but has been searching for a local co-housing project to move into, and Francis Blake, who co-owns the land with his brothers and wanted to do something more constructive with the old farm buildings that have just been released from a long term tenancy.
