At this week's National Community Led Housing Summit at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in London, we shared an analogy: too much market housing is the equivalent of cheap sliced bread. Poorly made, with poor ingredients, bland and tasteless, it leaves us questioning what we are consuming and its impact on our lives and the environment.

Community led housing, and cohousing in particular, offers something closer to homemade sourdough. Baked with culture, care and quality in mind. Rooted in place, shaped by its makers and given the attention it deserves.

For us at Barefoot, it really could be the best thing since sliced bread. We believe it offers a recipe for housing that is better for people and the planet. The challenge is creating the right conditions to bake more of it into our housing system.

That challenge ran through the summit: could community led housing become a fourth pillar of UK housing supply, and what evidence would help it get there?

As Tom Chance explained, cohousing, co-operatives and community land trusts share commitments to democratic participation, stewardship and connection. These are essential ingredients: people having a say, protecting long-term community interests and creating everyday opportunities to know and support their neighbours.

But even the best recipe needs the conditions to work. Access to land, early funding, planning support and experienced delivery partners remain significant barriers. Contributors from Chapeltown Cohousing described the exhaustion of navigating a complex system through years of voluntary effort. Growing the sector means making participation possible for people without exceptional reserves of time, money or confidence.

Finance is another missing ingredient. Jon Lee of Wrigleys highlighted a circular problem: lenders see a small, unfamiliar sector as risky, while expensive or limited finance holds back its growth. Evidence comparing perceived risk with actual project performance could help unlock investment. Shared legal structures and repeatable delivery approaches could also ease the process while allowing each community its own character.

The summit’s central ambition was a stronger, more coordinated research base. Government representatives wanted credible proposals for sustained growth. Researchers and practitioners explored a dedicated research centre, targeted grants and a learning network to turn scattered knowledge into accessible, practical support.

That evidence must look beyond completion day. How do communities perform ten or fifteen years later? What happens to affordability, energy use, loneliness and people’s ability to age in place? Demonstrating those outcomes would help explain the wider value of investing in these homes.

Communities must shape this research and benefit from it. Their experience is an essential part of understanding what works and what needs to change.

At Barefoot, we want more people to have the opportunity to shape homes around how they want to live together. That takes good design, capable partnerships and a housing system willing to support different ways of building.

We have inspiring examples and committed people. Now we need to bring together the ingredients, share the learning and create the conditions for many more communities to rise.

JOIN US FOR OUR COHOUSING EVENT: Building the Neighbourhoods We Need in the South-West⁠ ⁠

Paintworks Event Space, Bristol⁠

30 September⁠ ⁠2026

We’re celebrating 10 years of Barefoot Architects Ltd with a special event in partnership with the UK Cohousing Network and we’re delighted to welcome legendary cohousing architect and author Charles Durrett as part of his UK tour.⁠ ⁠ Come along for an evening exploring how we can create the community-led, sustainable and affordable neighbourhoods we need for the future.⁠ Tickets are limited and we’re expecting to sell out soon!⁠ ⁠ If you’re involved or interested in cohousing, community-led housing, affordable housing or innovative approaches to creating better neighbourhoods, we’d love to see you there.⁠

Buy tickets here.