Lowfield Green – York

Bowman Riley designed Lowfield Green, a pioneering community-led housing development in Acomb, York, delivered by YorSpace Community Land Trust.

York’s first housing co-operative, YorSpace has created a new model for permanently affordable, sustainable housing, giving residents a genuine stake in their community, which ensures the homes remain permanently affordable, with land retained in community ownership and resale values restricted to around 70% of market value.

The first phase is complete and provides 14 two, three and four-bedroom homes across three terrace blocks, forming part of the wider 20-home development. Our design takes inspiration from the traditional Yorkshire terrace, creating a compact, contemporary neighbourhood around a shared, car-free street and communal landscape. Private gardens sit alongside larger shared spaces, a common house, cycle storage and shared resources, encouraging residents to connect and reducing reliance on private cars. Community involvement has been central from the outset.

The scheme has been designed in-house to passive house principles and One Planet Living, combining high environmental performance with a strong focus on community. Sustainability is embedded throughout the scheme. The homes are designed to passive house standards, with timber-frame and modular construction used across the development.

The first residents moved into Lowfield Green in late 2025, turning a decade of community-led development into a thriving new neighbourhood. Lowfield Green demonstrates how thoughtful architecture, sustainable design and community-led development can create high-quality, permanently affordable homes with a lasting positive impact.

Lowfield Green was commended in the RTPI Yorkshire Best Homes and Communities Scheme category and was also shortlisted for the Placemaker Award at The Yorkshires Residential Real Estate Awards 2026.

To see more of Bowman Riley’s residential experience, click here