Watch This Space completes £4m Lake District co-living

A 25-bedroom development aimed at addressing a chronic shortage of accommodation for workers in Cumbria’s leisure industry has been created within a former biscuit factory in Windermere.

Developer Watch This Space is behind the £4m scheme, which is due to open in April.

Founder Michelle Rothwell said the development, which also features 12 flexible office suites, would help reverse the impacts of Brexit and the increase of properties being acquired for use as holiday lets, which have exacerbated an existing issue.

“I spent a lot of my childhood in The Lakes and I saw a lot of people move away because there was nowhere to live,” she said.

“The combination of Brexit and the explosion of holiday homes has reduced the amount of high quality, affordable accommodation in the Lake District even further.

“We want to provide accommodation in The Lakes that is beautiful and affordable to enable them to have a good quality life.”

The biscuit factory scheme will provide 25 bedrooms – starting at £215 a week – each with their own private bathroom, as well as shared kitchen facilities, lounges, and a gaming room.

Watch This Space acquired the three-storey, 14,200 sq ft building in 2023.

“Lake District Co-living is about so much more than the property,” Rothwell said.

“We’re going to put on events like open water swims and mountain walks in order to create a community. We’re super excited about it.”

She added: “I did a viewing with somebody who moved to The Lakes and did a house share with a mate, but didn’t know anyone. She’s moving in [to Lake District Co-living] because she’s got a community of people around her. We believe there is so much demand for this kind of accommodation.”

Snook Architects and Adams Planning & Development Consultancy advised Watch This Space on the scheme.