Plans revealed to rescue derelict Exeter landmark as hub of new over-55s community
A new cohousing group has revealed plans to build 37 homes around a Grade II listed Exeter building that has stood empty for over a decade.
Plans have been revealed to transform the former Honeylands Assessment Unit site on Pinhoe Road, Whipton, into a new community of 37 homes for people aged 55 and over.
The proposals, drawn up by Cohousing Exeter and developer Aspen Retirement, include bringing the site's Grade II listed Honeylands House back into use as a shared communal space, though this is subject to planning approval. The Victorian building has been vacant for more than ten years.
Under the plans, it would become a place where residents could eat, meet, take part in activities and socialise together. A planning application is expected to be submitted in mid-June.
It is understood to be the UK's first senior cohousing project initiated by a private developer.
"This is the first cohousing community for active ageing that Aspen has brought forward and we believe it represents a positive and forward-thinking housing option for later living."
The new homes would be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom properties, all built to high energy-efficiency standards. The site would also feature green space, a pond and shared garden areas for growing fruit and vegetables.
Around ten founding members have already joined the group, which has been supported by Community Led Homes, an organisation with experience of facilitating community-led housing projects. What sets cohousing apart from a conventional development is that future residents take an active role in designing and managing where they live.
"Cohousing is just a great way to live, especially as we begin to get older. You have your own home, designed to be accessible even if your health deteriorates, and you live alongside other people who share a wish to be intentionally neighbourly."
If plans are approved, residents would make consensual decisions on how to run the site and intend to open communal spaces to the wider local community for occasional events.
The scheme is currently proposed as 100 per cent home ownership, though the group says pricing and other options are still being worked through. Those interested would become members of Cohousing Exeter before purchasing a home.
Anyone wanting to find out more can attend a free drop-in event at St Katherine's Priory community centre, St Katherine's Road, Exeter, on Saturday 13 June. Sessions run from 10.30am to 1.30pm and again from 2.30pm to 5.30pm, with the chance to visit the Honeylands site itself.