Our
Project
What are we creating?
Angel Yard will be a new-build housing development for our members. Alongside individual flats and houses, we shall have a large ground floor space that everyone can share, which is the essence of cohousing. The central garden, away from traffic, is a focal point and a place for us all to enjoy. As a group of neighbours we shall run our 'estate' ourselves amd make all our own decisions about everything from how much the service charge will be to where the washing lines go.
The design of our scheme
Our architects have designed a bold urban development using materials and features that reference the local area and the historic buildings in this part of Norwich. At the same time they have made sure that the houses and flats are modern liveable spaces that meet the needs of our members and future residents.
CGI illustration of the view from outside looking towards the Oak Street and Sussex Street junction
For more detailed information, the Design and Access Statement (May 2022) and Addendum (August 2023) from our planning application are available here:
Design and Access Statement May 2022 PDF 20Mb
Addendum to DAS August 2023 PDF 3.6Mb
The location of our project
Our site lies just north of Norwich city centre, about ten minutes' walk from the market and City Hall. North City is a vibrant mix of old (mediaeval), less old (Victorian), and more recent post-war light industrial. It's an area of artists, independent businesses, young families and new arrivals. It
Norwich city centre is 15 minutes away on foot, and just 5 mins by bike. Two major bus routes go along the nearby Aylsham Road, with several more on Magdalen Street a short stroll away. The railway station is about 25 mins' walk through town or you can take the scenic riverside route past the cathedral.
How many properties will there be?
The design is for 34 properties in total. There will be six houses and 28 apartments, ranged around a south facing inner garden with trees and shrubs, seating and play areas.
Nearly all of the properties will be privately owned. The houses and apartments will be fully self-contained with their own kitchens, bathrooms and their own front door. The apartments are one, two and three-bed and a generous 55 to 90 square metres; the three-bed houses are just over 100 square metres in size. All homes will be dual aspect, so there is plenty of light and ventilation, and each has its own private outdoor space, whether a balcony or courtyard garden. The flats in the apartment blocks are laid out on a single level, and can all be reached by lift as well as stairs.
Our common house
A unique feature of cohousing is the Common House, a building for all residents to use, with a large dining and meeting room, guest bedrooms, laundry and storage. With a well equipped kitchen our dining hall is bright and airy with doors opening out onto the patio.
The common house is located on the ground floor of the Oak Street building, extending to 233 square metres of shared facilities. Outside we have a landscaped garden with room to relax, play and grow. The small parking area for visitors' cars, pool cars and bicycles is tucked away next to a shared workshop. Both the common house and garden will be wheelchair accessible.
Prices
We are now (2026) able to publish the fixed sale prices for our properties, as follows:
1 bed flat, 54 sqm, £283,000
2 bed flat, 74 sqm or 77 sqm, £350,500 or £373,500
2 bed + study flat, 83 sqm, £407,500
3 bed ground floor flat, 92 sqm, £441,000
3 bed house, 105 or 106 sqm, £492,000 to £497,500
For details of which homes are still available, see https://www.angelyard.org.uk/homes
Service charge
The service charge needs to cover items such as insurance and maintenance for the apartments, and the costs of running the common house spread across all the homes. The service charge is entirely within the control of our members - each of our resident household - and we can make our own decisions about how much of the work of, for instance, cleaning and gardening we wish to do ourselves, also how much of a 'sinking fund' we want to build up for larger repair bills in the next decade or two.
At the last calculation, a very rough ballpark figure for the service charge was £1900 per year for the leasehold apartments and £950 per year for the freehold houses (which, since they are freehold, will need to pay their own insurance individually).
Purchase procedure
Anyone who joins our group will be buying a property off-plan. You would be buying it from a company that we have set up to manage the build, and whose members are - ourselves. As a 'group self build' scheme, joining and purchasing is a little different from the standard buy-from-a-housing-developer situation, and we are happy to talk you through it so you understand it fully.
Please see our latest Purchase Procedure document, which gives a detailed explanation of the stages towards purchase:
Angel Yard purchase procedure
Our policies
Working together, our members have started to develop a set of policies for our future community. We don't want to be a place with hundreds of rules, but at the same time if a prospective resident asks 'will I be able to...?' we need to have an answer.
The most difficult policy was how to agree policies... so our decision-making policy came first:
Decision-making policy
Pets Policy
Neighbourliness in times of need Policy
Parking policy
Draft renting and letting policy
Smoking and vaping policy
Common house food policy
Decisions when absent and Agenda Policy