Nettle housing cooperative
We are a group of women and single mothers, working to create safe and secure community homes for our families and future Co-op members in Easton.
Nettle was founded in response to the housing crisis, in which we find ourselves increasingly marginalised and excluded from accessing secure, affordable and long-term homes. Working together as a co-op, we aim to build the security we desperately seek, creating innovative and affordable homes that are focussed on community, sustainability and shared resources.
In 2023 we won a competitive bid to develop a small co-housing scheme on a plot of land on Woodborough Street, Lawrence Hill. We’re currently in the process of submitting our plans for the site to Bristol City Council for planning permission. We’re aiming for development to be completed and to move into our homes in late 2027.
What is a housing Cooperative?
Cooperative housing is a model where a group of people collectively own or manages housing. All members have an equal say in decision-making, rent, and management. Members work together to handle responsibilities like repairs and administration, and the rent paid reflects the cost of managing the housing rather than generating profit. This model is increasingly being used as a way to produce affordable housing and gives residents more control over their homes.
The need for affordable homes
Statistics make it painfully clear that the housing need in Bristol goes far beyond the members of Nettle. Bristol faces an unprecedented level of housing demand, at every level. In 2020, the waiting list for affordable housing in Bristol was 13,000 households. In 2025 it is over 21,000.
The most vulnerable people in our communities bear the brunt of the housing crisis, and this is especially true for women and single parent families. In Bristol, single parents with dependent children make up 31% of all households threatened with homelessness and account for 67% of families in emergency accommodation. 97% of these lone parents are women.
“The average Bristol resident now needs almost 10 times their annual salary to buy a house! It’s an impossible situation and something dramatic has to change nationally. We have the opportunity to do something that we hope will inspire other people who would like to create their own housing solutions.”
