People who join early will be taking a bigger financial risk than those who join later. Is this reflected in a potentially lower purchase cost?

Ideally the whole group will be in place before any major expenditure takes place. This may be essential in order to raise the funds to purchase the site. Financial decisions so far are based on there being one build phase. If the group decided to proceed despite having vacancies and recruit other members later it would be free to revise the price of the "second phase" of homes as it saw fit.

Could you confirm the basis of the £5000 deposit. eg do we continue to earn interest (or are we credited interest) until the site purchase?

The £5000 does not currently earn interest. However there is nothing to prevent the management committee deciding to pay interest, if for example it became clear that we would not need to pay for the site for a year, and could put the money in a higher interest account.

Has any thought been put into making the scheme accessible for people without capital assets? eg Would cash-rich individuals be willing to club together to purchase a unit for renting out?

We have discussed this possibility. We were sympathetic but we thought we would have our work cut out making the project happen as it was. However if people came forward with money offering to buy a house to rent out I am sure we would revisit this. We would have to get the balance right in terms of tenant and owner participation in community decisions.

Are there many Cohousing projects?

There are lots especially in Denmark, the US and Canada. In the UK there are 2 up and running projects and many more preparing groups. Check out the our Links section.

Are the estimated costs of houses projected costs or based on costs now?

The estimated costs are based on industry costs in early 2006. Actual costs will depend on the property market and housebuilding costs at the time when major expenses are incurred.

To what degree do the costs take into account self-build? Are any of these costs off-set by sweat equity?

The costs assume no self-build. Opportunities are likely to be limited to tasks such as decorating, external landscaping etc, and to 'desk jobs' such as project management. Where members carry out significantly more work than that required from all participating households there is the potential for a discount on the finished home. This is set out in the finance policies in the residents handbook section of the website.

What environmental standards does the money buy?

Our vision is to meet the AECB Gold standard. This is a higher standard than has been achieved by developments in the UK to date. However because of the lack of practical experience of meeting this standard it cannot be guaranteed within the project budget. However we are committed to making this a cutting edge example of sustainable design.

Are there annual management fees once the project is up and running?

Yes. There is mopre information on this under "splitting costs between households" in the finance policies in the residents handbook section of the website.

Is site size dependent upon interest?

It may be, although we expect that securing a suitable site will be one of the most difficult parts of the project, so it is more likely that the exact number of participants will be dependent on site size.

Twenty-four houses or twenty-four people?

Twenty four homes.

Are we only going ahead with the project if we achieve full membership?

The project can only proceed when there are sufficient members to cover its costs. The project size is flexible within the range 15-24 households at this stage.

Are there annual management fees once the project is up and running?

Yes. There is more information on this under "splitting costs between households" in the finance policies in the residents handbook section of the website.

Would we consider doing two projects if we got too many people?

Not at the moment!

Can one become a member and not buy a house? Can one support the project through investment?

We intend to set up a mechanism whereby people can lend money to the project as soon as this is required to assist cash flow.

Do we foresee people buying houses and not living there? Will we allow rentals?

We expect people who buy houses to want to live in the community. However we recognise that people may want or need to live elsewhere for periods of time and our assoiate membership policy allows for this.

Do we have a policy on rent levels or is it up to the individual?

Usually it's up to the individual. See the associate member policy in the residents handbook for more detail.

Could one invest a deposit now and move in, for example, in four years time?

You would need to pay the 30% deposit and buy the house at the same time as everyone else. However, you could then rent the house (see associate member policy) for a few years before moving in. The group is likely to want to ensure that the majority of members are not intending to do this.

What constraints on selling-on?

These are set out in the finance policies. They are basically safeguards, and we expect most, if not all home which are sold to change hands without the intervention of the community.

What happens if I am only interested in certain sites - should I wait until site choice is made?

If you do this you will not be able to directly influence the choice of site, and there may be no place left by this time. You will have a (necessarily very short) period to withdraw from the project if you cannot live with the chosen site.

By what time does one need to decide to fully commit to buying a house?

Almost immediately after the group resolving to buy a particular site.

What criteria will we use to accept people?

There are no criteria. Decisions on accepting new member households will be made by the management committee which will consist of one person from each full member household.

For what reasons would we turn someone down for full membership?

For example, we could forsee us rejecting an application from someone who was purely trying to make money out of the project, may have a disruptive influence on the project, or did not appear to share the vision.

What timescale between now and people getting their keys?

Probably 2008. The How the project will work section of the website gives an optimum timescale.

What exactly do we mean by 'car-free'? What about disability access?

We don't expect there will be any privately owned cars, except perhaps by disabled residents. This is likely to be a planning condition on the sites we are looking at. However there will be a small amount of car parking to one side of the site for blue badge holders and visitors. They will probably also be a few "car club" cars for the shared use of residents. For more info see www.carplus.org.uk We will discuss cars in more detail once more people have joined.

What happens if someone needs a car for work?

If someone had a car for work and kept it at work the group would not seek to interfere with that. There may also be scope to use a "car club" car based at the Cohousing development for work journeys.