Property description

Modern 2 bedroom penthouse flat with beautiful views over the Stroud valleys in a cohousing* development close to the town centre. Spacious open plan living with built-in kitchen, floor to ceiling windows and balcony. This top floor flat makes good use of the extra ceiling height and there is lots of storage in the eaves.

Description
Cohousing* is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a supportive and interesting community - there are shared meals and cooking, as well as taking part in the decisions about what happens at Springhill. And you have your own front door and private flat.

The entrance to the flat is one flight of stairs above the car park level, and three floors above the main street of the Cohousing. As it is the only flat in the block on this level, the space outside can be used as storage or as an additional outside seating area.

Hall
Built-in coat cupboard.

Living/dining
5.75m x 3.59m
This light and airy room has views across the valley through the full-height windows and doors out to the private balcony. The room has high ceilings with potential for a mezzanine bedroom or office construction (subject to planning), and is open plan with the kitchen. The floor is slate tiles and very easy to look after.

Open plan kitchen area
2.09m x 2.25m
The kitchen area has built-in wall and floor units with single drainer sink, gas hob, electric oven and overhead extractor unit. There is a large, walk-in storage area off the kitchen with ample space for white goods and the wall-mounted Ideal combi boiler.

Bedroom 1
3.2m (4.46m max) x 2.32m
L-shaped double bedroom with views from the corner window and door to storage area under the eaves.

Bedroom 2
2.16m x 2.30m
Single bedroom with Velux window and door to storage area under the eaves.

Bathroom
2.16m x 2.10m
Bath with shower over and glass shower screen, toilet and basin. Extractor fan and Velux window.

Other features
Warmcell insulation
Triple glazed wooden-framed windows
Mains gas central heating
There are communal grounds including pedestrian areas, a pond, a 'green' and a 'secret garden' with chickens and raised vegetable beds. The flat is next door to the common house where you find the dining room for shared meals, events space (community choir, music club, yoga, film shows, parties to name a few activities) and games room, laundry and workshop. Please note there is no allocated parking for the flat.

5 mins walk to Stroud town centre through Park Gardens

10 mins walk to Stroud station (Paddington 1hr 15 minutes)

Stroud is surrounded by the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the beautiful Commons and valleys all around. There are many walks and cycle rides in the area, as well as the river and canal.

Stroud has an award-winning farmers' market and a good range of shops, supermarkets, restaurants and cafes. Many of the local villages have pubs serving good quality meals. There are many good and excellent primary and secondary schools in the area, both state and private: Archway School, Stroud High School (grammar school for girls), Marling School (grammar school for boys), Wynstones (a Steiner Waldorf school), Wycliffe College, Beaudesert Park. There is a regular train service from Stroud to Swindon, Reading and Paddington (90 mins); the M5 is 6 miles away and the M4 30 miles for commuting to Bristol or Swindon.

*More information on Cohousing
(from the Springhill Cohousing website)
Springhill Cohousing is the first new-build cohousing scheme to be completed in the UK. There are 34 units, ranging from one bedroomed flats to five bedroom houses. There is a three-storey common house with a kitchen where meals are cooked and served three times a week – other shared meals and community-based social activities happen there too.

We believe that people need community and privacy. Cohousing is a way for people to live together so that they can have as much community and privacy as they want. The concept is simple and immediately comprehensible. It is the way forward for human beings to live together in a safe, independent and caring neighbourhood. It is a revolution that is beginning now. We will no longer just choose a new house when we move, we will join a new community.

Cohousing started in Denmark in the 1970s. Possibly as many as 1% of the Danish population now live in Cohousing! It is becoming popular in other European countries and in the USA where there are many cohousing communities and more starting. The term cohousing was coined by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett in their book Cohousing, a contemporary approach to modern living, first published in 1994.

Important information

All properties on Springhill are sold with a 999-year lease with a start date of 2001 (985 years remaining). The freeholder is the Springhill Cohousing Community Ltd. whose shareholders are all owners of properties on Springhill. So when you buy a property you join the company as a shareholder (a single share can be in the name of 2 people) and when you sell your property your share is transferred to the new buyer. This arrangement is designed to safeguard your investment in your own property. The lease is very similar to that which would apply if you were buying a flat in a block of flats, but it has additional clauses specific to Cohousing. Your solicitor will be able to give you proper legal advice on the lease and other matters. All information here is informal and should not be treated as legal advice.

Additional costs

When a property changes hands at Springhill, the lease specifies that a levy of 0.5% of the purchase price is paid to the Springhill Cohousing Community. Any buyer of this property will be responsible for making this payment.
There is a monthly service charge. This goes towards repair, maintenance and utility bills for the common facilities and buildings insurance for all the individual properties. For this house the current (summer 2015) service charge is £19.00 pcm.

Before you buy

Please bear in mind that if you are seriously considering moving to Springhill you should be fully aware of the way the community works, your rights and responsibilities, the common house, cooking and eating, lawn mowing and all the other enjoyable and important aspects of cohousing. If you have, or intend to have, any cats or dogs it is essential you ask about the pets policy before making any decisions. For further information about what your responsibilities will be and what cohousing life is like, it's useful to visit Springhill and experience cohousing life before you buy.

Open Plan Living Area

2 Bedrooms

Great views and own balcony

Cohousing Community Living

Gas Central Heating

Close to Stroud Town Centre

Built 2003