The Lifetime Community Project have been planning their group's development in detail, and have kindly allowed the cohousing network to make their planning documents available to others. They're in word document format - download via the links below.

Lifetime cohousing brief: includes aims, guiding principles, design plans through to overall expectations - which include 'We expect the built community to remain fit-for-purpose until the day we die!'

Explorer Questionnaire: a detailed question sheet for prospective members.

Finance and cost issues: a document exploring the factors that will determine the best financial model for a project.

Financing models: a table with a breakdown of advantages and disadvantages of different financing models, from housing association to self-financing.

Ownership models: pros, cons and questions about the best ownership model.

Max Comfort offers a wonderfully detailed (and at times very sobering) account of the development of Springhill Cohousing in Stroud...

1. How we got started

In 2000, David Michael successfully negotiated to buy 2 acres of land close to the centre of Stroud and on a steep, south-facing slope. He put down £150,000 returnable deposit from his own funds and began to spread the word about the project. By the Autumn of 2000 he had attracted some ten households, all of whom purchased 5,000 £1 shares in the Company intending to buy the land and chose which house type they were going to purchase. The choice was 5, 4 or 3 bed houses, and 1 and 2 bed flats. At the last minute the vendors asked us to go to sealed bids and we ended up paying £550,000 for the site. We exchanged contracts but David negotiated a long period to completion, which gave us time to gather the funds for the site purchase.