The Threshold Centre is a unique, pioneering sustainable education centre and cohousing community, which aims to demonstrate a way of life which is more green, more affordable, and more neighbourly.

Cohousing, which combines small, self-contained homes with shared facilities, is a key part of this.

The Threshold Centre shows how to achieve major cuts in the three main aspects of domestic carbon emissions: food, travel and home energy. Ways that this is achieved include:

A community market garden and local food sourcing
Car pooling, on-site work and social activities to reduce car use
Shared energy systems: biomass heating and photovoltaic electrical.

Having operated on a pilot basis since late 2004, the Threshold Centre in late 2008 won planning permission and grant funding to create a cohousing scheme at Cole Street Farm with fourteen dwellings, seven being affordable rent and shared ownership with a local housing association, plus a common house with shared facilities and guest rooms, green energy systems and a community market garden.

Construction work was completed in early 2010, and the project is now fully operational.

The Threshold Centre is unique in being the only sustainable education centre in the UK which includes a cohousing community, and also unique in being the first UK cohousing scheme to be created jointly with a housing association.

The Centre runs regular workshops on cohousing and other subjects. For more information, visit thresholdcentre.org.uk.

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