Sir – As a founder member of the recently formed Oxford Cohousing (OCH), I write to suggest that co-housing offers a solution to some of the issues relating to affordable housing and use of city green spaces raised in recent correspondence.

The benefits include: Because residents are fundamentally interested in creating a mutually supportive mixed community with an emphasis on co-operation, co-housing reduces the burden on social services for child care and elder care at the very least and at the other end of the spectrum creates neighbourhoods where well-being is higher than in other non-cooperative neighbourhoods.

Second, OCH wants to build zero carbon homes with an emphasis on preserving the look and feel of the environment within which they are built. Because of the many shared facilities the homes can be smaller and higher density thus preserving as much green space as possible for gardening and horticulture.

Third, the shared facilities, such as meeting space and gardens can be shared with the local community adding to the vibrancy and social integration of the wider neighbourhood.

Fourth, related to the ‘shared’ aspects of co-housing, the carbon footprint is reduced in a variety of ways: more energy efficient buildings, shared car use, some on-site food production. It’s a far more sustainable way to live and Daniel Scharf (Letters, June 23) is right to suggest that if local authorities are serious about reducing carbon emissions, co-housing should be the default option for any new housing.

Fifth, Oxford Cohousing is also actively researching how to create permanently affordable homes so that local people on average incomes can afford them and so any public subsidy (if such a thing still exists) is locked in permanently.

So help us find a piece of land and get this show on the road!

Fran Ryan, Oxford Cohousing Group, Oxford