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The Co-operative Development Society Ltd / CDS Co-operatives

Phoenix Place in Dartford, UK. Photographed by Ben Bowles, Benjamin Film Photography

CDS Cooperatives, a charitable community benefit society established in 1975, is dedicated to supporting the development of new housing co-ops. Over time, the organization’s role has expanded, and CDS now owns and manages homes across the South East of England. Its primary objective is to provide, support, and promote co-op and community-led housing to empower individuals to shape their living environments, neighbourhoods, and communities. CDS is deeply committed to its cooperative roots and endeavours to support cooperation as a robust business model and a valuable skill set.

Functioning as a regulated housing association, CDS owns 700 social rented homes and 300 leasehold properties in London and the home counties.

In its role as a supporter, CDS serves as the largest co-op service agency in the South East, offering landlord and business services to approximately 40 co-ops encompassing 1800 homes. Its goal is to provide services that facilitate the independent and successful operation of co-ops.

Furthermore, as a promoter, CDS aims to utilize a portion of its surpluses to invest in integrating community-led housing into the mainstream housing sector. This is achieved through collaboration with other entities to develop tools and infrastructure, such as land, planning, funding, design, and group support, with the objective of expediting and simplifying the construction of more homes.

Find out more about housing cooperatives in the UK.

Phoenix Place in Dartford, UK. Photographed by Ben Bowles, Benjamin Film Photography

Phoenix Place in Dartford, UK. Photographed by Ben Bowles, Benjamin Film Photography

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