October 2022 digital edition
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
HOUSING<br />
UK’s first virtually plastic-free homes to be run by housing co-op<br />
A co-op housing development has been<br />
completed in Redditch, Worcs., using lowcarbon<br />
and minimal plastic materials.<br />
Developer GreenSquareAccord says it is<br />
the first of its kind in Europe when it comes<br />
to building with plastic alternatives.<br />
The Pioneer Housing Co-operative<br />
development, on the site of a former<br />
factory car park in the town centre, is<br />
offering 12 one-bed apartments to be<br />
managed by Redditch Cooperative Homes.<br />
Residents were recruited early in the<br />
process and have had the chance to<br />
personalise their homes, which have<br />
been built using GreenSquareAccord’s<br />
low-carbon manufacturing facility, LoCaL<br />
Homes. The apartments feature plasticfree<br />
finishes such as mineral-based wire<br />
insulation, wooden kitchen units and<br />
aluminium window frames.<br />
There are some elements of construction<br />
that could not be sourced without plastic.<br />
For safety reasons, the outside cladding is<br />
made of a cement mixture which includes<br />
plastic as a binding agent, and some<br />
fixtures such as the electricity meters<br />
could not be made plastic-free.<br />
The developer‘s assistant director of<br />
new business, Carl Taylor, said: “Although<br />
challenging, this project demonstrates<br />
what is possible and sets a new threshold<br />
in the sector for sustainable building. Our<br />
aim is to influence others to embrace our<br />
approach and remove the plastic elements<br />
from their builds, helping to create a more<br />
sustainable building sector.”<br />
Tenant David Trevitt said: “I can’t wait<br />
to move in – the peace and independence<br />
this will bring will make a massive<br />
difference to my life. As I have disabilities,<br />
this place is perfectly suited to me as it<br />
is on the ground floor and close to town<br />
and the shops. I can appreciate that the<br />
apartment is plastic-free and I’m looking<br />
forward to the benefits of lower fuel bills.”<br />
Image: GreenSquareAccord<br />
The £1.37m project received £830,631<br />
from the Interreg North West Europe<br />
funding partnership to allow the plastic<br />
reduction efforts to be researched during<br />
construction.<br />
It is also part of the Circular Housing<br />
Asset Renovation and Management<br />
(CHARM) partnership, involving<br />
representatives from France, Belgium and<br />
the Netherlands and the UK, including<br />
Redditch Borough Council.<br />
The £35m regeneration of Redditch<br />
town centre will see the co-op double in<br />
size, providing over 200 homes for new<br />
members over the next 18 months.<br />
RETAIL<br />
Unicorn refines its recipe for a worker-owned grocery<br />
Manchester co-op grocery Unicorn has<br />
launched an updated version of its guide<br />
to setting up a co-operative food store.<br />
The Grow a Grocery guide – released<br />
in 2010 to help those starting a new shop<br />
or developing an existing one – is being<br />
updated to include new resources and a<br />
fresh design.<br />
Unicorn, established in 1996, has no<br />
plans to expand beyond its existing<br />
shop, focusing instead on enabling the<br />
development of more worker-owned food<br />
co-ops around the world.<br />
“We’ve always had a mission to create<br />
social and environmental change,” says<br />
Unicorn’s Debbie Clarke, “and part of that<br />
is sharing what we know.”<br />
Unicorn’s guide includes a run-through<br />
of the 10 key areas of its business,<br />
including people, planning, produce,<br />
premises, practical resources, procedures<br />
and pricing, promotion and policies,<br />
and principles. An accompanying set<br />
of resources includes sample policies,<br />
supplier lists and rotas.<br />
Updates include new tools and systems<br />
from the sociocratic governance model, as<br />
well as learnings from the Barefoot course<br />
for Co-op Developers.<br />
“We know the guide in its original form<br />
has been useful to hundreds of enterprises<br />
all over the world,” said Debbie, “but<br />
things change over time and we wanted<br />
to keep it relevant and a living resource.<br />
We’re learning constantly, so although<br />
the core model remains the same, we’ve<br />
developed and grown a lot in the years<br />
since we wrote it.<br />
“Of course, the food retail landscape<br />
has changed too, so we hope that’s been<br />
reflected.”<br />
The guide has been used by a range of<br />
different businesses since it was originally<br />
developed with the support of Sustain and<br />
its Big Lottery-funded Food Co-ops and<br />
Buying Groups project.<br />
Download the guide at bit.ly/3R4wtTt<br />
12 | OCTOBER <strong>2022</strong>
Change language