News | Co-Living Tour for Exeter

LEARNING FROM PLACE

How Can Cities Get the Most Out of Build-to-Rent Development?

This month Design West hosted officers and elected members from Exeter City Council to learn about the possibilities and challenges of Co-Living & Build-to-Rent.

What is Co-Living?

Co-Living is a modern form of shared housing, where people share common amenities like kitchens and lounges, but have private bedrooms and bathrooms, and is proving a popular and social way of living for people without families. 

With housing demand outstripping supply in cities like Exeter and Bristol, and with over 100,000 homes to be delivered in the West of England, co-living models are an efficient way of meeting housing demand in tight urban centres and providing a better quality-of-life for some social demographics.  

Part of the challenge facing Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) is to better understand these new forms of higher density living coming forward in our city centres. It’s critical for LPAs to share best practice in what can be achieved through new housing typologies, and to share common challenges and gaps in provision.

Case Studies: Zincworks (Co-Living) & Box Makers Yard (Build to Rent)

Bristol hosted the Exeter delegation, providing extensive tours of two examples of modern typologies. 

Box Makers Yard demonstrated how smart design of communal space works for community building. At Zincworks the council delegation learnt about the strength of the Planning System & how to use it to ensure that developments like this fulfil their intended function, protecting against letting in more purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) ‘by the back door’.

The sessions allowed council team to dive into the technical guidance and the key design aspects that were required to produce positive outcomes for future residents. Themes included designing active spaces for community-building, spaces for relaxation and the need for a well-designed management plan.

Knowledge Exchange

The visit was made possible by strong leadership from Ian Collinson (Strategic Director for Place) and Roger Clotworthy (Head of City Development, Exeter City Council) who brought the Exeter team to Bristol, with both councillors and officers interrogating sites together through thoughtful, illuminating questions.

Thank you to Alex Hearn (Director of Economy of Place) and Emily Peka (Regeneration Project Officer) from Bristol City Council for their in-depth contributions to the day and for sharing the current guidance they are working on (Maccreanor Lavington).

Opportunities for Place-Based Learning

If you would like Design West to facilitate a study tour around a typology or topic, please contact Pippa Goldfinger.