We’re thrilled to share that Sturts Farm Co-housing Neighbourhood has received planning approval! Sturts Community Trust is a registered charity and housing association based on Sturts Farm a 90-acre organic biodynamic farm in Ferndown, East Dorset, offering housing, land-based work opportunities, and individualised support for adults with learning disabilities.
Social Sustainability
As part of their housing provision Sturts commissioned our team to provide a housing scheme for an inclusive co-living neighbourhood for companions and support workers. Whilst sustainability is often considered in terms of environmental impact, at Footprint we recognise that a building’s social value is a major factor to ensuring social sustainability.
This co-housing development, will provide sustainable, purpose-built housing designed to promote inclusive, community-focused living for companions, support workers, and families. The new neighbourhood is purposefully designed to enhance the physical, mental, and social well-being of all residents. The shared kitchen, dining space, and common room offer areas for companions, families, and support workers to connect, share meals, and engage in community activities.
Designing a Co-housing Community
The proposal includes seven assisted living studios, two three-bedroom houses, one four-bedroom house, and a two-bedroom flat, along with communal facilities such as a shared kitchen, dining room, and laundry.
The design features a courtyard layout centred around a communal herb garden, creating opportunities for social interaction while maintaining privacy. The front doors of all residences face the central courtyard, reinforcing a sense of community and belonging. The new neighbourhood development has been sensitively designed to sit respectively within the existing community setting and Green Belt site. The proposal will provide a new residential neighbourhood to provide suitable accommodation for co-housing living between companions, charity support workers and families.
”I’d like to congratulate you all on such a successful design process. Your expertise and thoughtfulness in the design, how the building functions, its placement, the way it will support those who live in it and steering it through planning have been truly impressive.” – Tim Woodward, Sturts Community Trust
We look forward to sharing more updates as the project progresses into its funding stage. If you have a community project in mind, we’d love to work with you. Contact us below or view our community and leisure page to see how we could help you.
