Celebrations have been held at Housing 21's flagship cohousing community in Birmingham with residents proudly unveiling the scheme they helped to design.
Rupali Court in Lozells is Housing 21’s first cohousing scheme and represents ground breaking approach to the provision of older people’s housing.
Unlike typical housing developments where people move into pre-designed properties and then meet their neighbours, at Rupali Court residents did things differently.
Prior to any work commencing, the future residents met each other and worked together to collectively shape the design of the scheme, influencing the layout, finishes and even the name – Rupali – which translates to ‘silver’ in Bengali.
Steph Ramsden, Director of Acquisitions, Sales and Partnerships at Housing 21, said: “This is a very different approach to our usual way of delivering housing. Residents have not only moved into beautiful new homes, but they have also helped shape a community that reflects their lives and aspirations.
“Rupali Court shows what is possible when you work alongside local people and trusted community partners to design housing that meets real needs. We now want to build on this and work with partners to develop similar cohousing communities across the country.”
Designed by Triangle Architects, the project was led by Harvinder Randhawa. From the very beginning of the project, residents have been involved in influencing everything from internal layouts and finishes across all 25 self-contained apartments, to the design and use shared spaces to support community ethos.
Designed with a focus on inclusion - particularly for older people from minority ethnic backgrounds - the scheme includes a lounge, multi-faith room, landscaped communal garden and a community garden for residents to grow their own vegetables – which they can cook and enjoy together in the common house area.
Rashida, a resident of Rupali Court who was involved in discussions about the design of the scheme said: “I have grandchildren who will regularly and having the darker surfaces (for the worktops) helps with any spills and stains as they are easier to clean. I felt very happy to be asked and given the opportunity to choose from the options.”
By adopting a cohousing approach, this has helped to foster relationships before residents moved in, with people from the same community forming connections and shaping how they will live together.
Mohammed, a resident of Rupali Court, said: “Rupali Court is not be just a retirement home. We are a family; we look after each other because we are all older people. This is a fantastic opportunity for everybody to become a family.”
Unlike other cohousing initiatives, which are privately funded or based on an ownership model, Rupali Court which received funding from Homes England is available for social rent, providing affordable housing opportunities for older people in the local area. It has also brought about benefits for the wider community, transforming the site of a former high rise tower block that had remained unused for around 40 years to create a new focal point for the local area.
Residents came together on 8 June for a special celebratory event at the scheme, attended by Housing 21 board members, local community groups and colleagues, where he shared a few words to mark the milestone.
The event also marked the launch of Housing 21’s updated cohousing strategy, led by Dawn Carr, Cohousing Partnership Manager at Housing 21. The strategy sets out how the organisation will build on learning from Birmingham to scale the model nationally. The strategy commits to developing further resident-led schemes in areas of high deprivation and diversity, working with local partners to co-design homes and communities that better reflect the needs of older people who are often underserved by traditional housing routes.
Owen Jarvis, Chief Executive of UK Cohousing Network, said: "We know that cohousing can offer people a remarkable way to live: enjoying the privacy of your own home whilst being part of a neighbourly, sociable community, where residents come together not only to support one another, but to make decisions about how their community evolves and thrives.
“Housing 21 deserves credit for adapting the principles of cohousing to reach communities that have not always had access to this kind of housing opportunity, whilst recognising that every community will have its own needs, aspirations and ways of working together.
“As our population ages, we need more than housing. We need places where people can belong, contribute and flourish. This strategy is an important step in that direction, and we hope it inspires others across the housing sector to be equally ambitious.”
Rupali Court is an example of how resident-led cohousing can work in practice, with Housing 21 now aiming to replicate the model in communities across England.
