In 1974, a group of families sought like-minded people to live together. Today, Old Hall in Suffolk is still home to some of its original members – including those who have returned with their own children

It took six years to persuade the Dutch authorities that CW Delft wasn’t just a hippy dream. Four decades on, it’s still thriving. What’s the secret?

At Belong Chester, the older residents and young children have the chance to spend each day together, and it’s led to big improvements in all their lives. What’s the secret?

It took 13 years of dreaming, peril and hard graft before the first residents moved into Cannock Mill – an eco-village that tackles both the climate crisis and loneliness

With residents aged from 58 to 94, New Ground is the UK’s first cohousing community exclusively for older women. Setting it up was an 18-year battle – but with soaring numbers of people living alone, is this an idea whose time has come?