LILAC stands for Low Impact Living Affordable Community

LILAC stands for Low Impact Living Affordable Community (it was previously called Leeds Ecovillage) LILAC is a pioneering project which aims to build a member-led housing neighbourhood which will have a low impact on the environment, will be built to the highest ecological standards, will be affordable, maximise social interaction between its residents, and make a positive contribution to its surrounding community.

Key Aspects LILAC aims to build a community of 20 homes in a location in West Yorkshire urban region. We are looking to acquire about an acre of land at the moment and this land will be gifted through a trust or covenant to the project in perpetuity. We are setting up a democratically run co-operative company (IPS) to build and manage the project. For us, LILAC is an urgent project to build for a number of reasons. It is a response to the huge shortage of affordable housing, to the urgent need for new homes to be more environmentally sustainable, to protect our resources in the face of climate change and energy scarcities, and to build a beautiful, safe neighbourhood where people come first and have direct power over how their neighbourhood is run.

Low Impact living According to the Carbon Trust buildings generate 45% of C 02 emissions in the UK. The government has set a target of all new buildings to be carbon neutral by 2019 Affordable House prices are still much higher than average earnings and the house price to income ratio in the UK is 4. 43 (average weekly earnings are £ 749. 93 and average house prices are £ 172, 593). Community Our design will maximise community interaction, based around the Danish co-housing model which mixes people’s needs for their own space in private homes with shared facilities in a co-house.

Our values Learning Safe & Healthy Connected Diverse Self-reliance Environmental sustainability Grass-roots Inspiration & Resource for others Respect Inclusive & Affordable

LILAC MHOS Ltd • A Co-operative Company (IPS) Benefit of members • Owned and managed by its members • A Mutual Home Ownership Scheme is a cooperative company run by its members who are all residents in the scheme • MHOS will own the houses (and the land) and issue tenancies to its members • Members buy or work towards paying for a number of equity shares in the MHOS dependent on their income • Everyone pays 35% of their income to the company • Leavers get an equity payment plus 25% increase in local housing market value index and 25% increase in average earnings but only if they have been there at least 3 yrs

Our plan Minimum one acre (or 4000 sq m / 0. 4 hectares) 2 x 2 storey terraces with 10 units in each: 6 x 1 bed (44 – 48 sq m) (over one floor) 6 x 2 bed (78 sq m) (over one floor) 5 x 3 bed (90 sq m) upside down house 3 x 4 bed (112 sq m) upside down house 200 sq m co-house (2 storeys)

Common House Features Kitchen (for 20) Eating space Laundry Computers Toolshop-workshop Meeting area/physical activity/play area (one multi use space) Spare room for guests

Funding Development Loan form Charity Bank and Ecology Building Society Grant for Co-house: from Co-operative Group/Esmee Fairburn Foundation 5 -10% deposit from members Loanstock issues

Environment Strategy Straw bale and timber frame Space heating • Passive solar gain, good design and air-tightness • Ground source heat (underfloor) • Heat exchangers • Individual wood burners (for winter top up) • No gas to the site hopefully Water heating • Solar water heaters • Possible use of electric immersion heaters for top up • Greywater recycling (rainwater - toilets)

Environment Strategy Possible future additions (money permitting) • Solar PV panels (for domestic electricity use) • Black water (living earth reed beds) • Neighbourhood Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

Ecovillages

Some initial ideas

Initial drawings Dunkirk Hill, Leeds

Potential site Waterloo Mount, Leeds

info@lilac. coop www. lilac. coop