General questions
What is Suvana?
Suvana is a Buddhist cohousing community that combines shared living with Buddhist values such as loving-kindness, generosity, and mindfulness.
It is being developed with TOWN as part of the wider Northstowe development in Cambridgeshire.
What is cohousing?
Cohousing is a collaborative way of living where individuals have their own private homes but share common spaces and facilities, fostering connection and mutual support.
Cohousing enables greater sustainability, reduces costs, and supports a strong sense of community.
What is a cocreator?
Cocreators are potential future residents actively involved in shaping the Suvana community.
Through collaborative decision-making and co-design workshops, cocreators help determine the layout, values and shared vision for Suvana.
The project is managed by the Coordination Group, the meetings of which all cocreators are welcome to attend. It’s about building not just a physical space, but a meaningful and connected community.
Who is TOWN?
TOWN is a profit-with-purpose developer partnering with Suvana Cohousing to bring this vision to life. They have experience in delivering award-winning projects such as Marmalade Lane, Cambridge, another cohousing community developed in collaboration with Mole Architects. TOWN is working alongside Homes England, the landowner of Northstowe, to create a sustainable and inclusive development.
What is Northstowe?
Northstowe is a new town being developed in Cambridgeshire, planned to include 10,000 homes, shops, schools, green spaces and community facilities. Suvana Cohousing will be part of phase two of this development.
What is Block B and Block C?
Block B refers to the Suvana development (buildings, open space and car parking). Block C is an adjacent co-housing development in the same TOWN development.
Suvana (Block B) and Block C share some facilities such as the car-free lane between the two blocks, guest bedrooms, co-working space and a workshop.
Read more in the planning application.
What kind of properties will be available?
The plans that have been co-designed with Suvana cocreators comprise 35 properties, in a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bed houses, and 1, 2 and 3 bed apartments. See our plans page, which includes a link to full details in the planning application and a brochure.
Can I visit the site?
Yes, site visits are organised regularly as part of cocreator meetings. Contact us for details or to request or suggest upcoming events and opportunities to meet future neighbours.
What does “Suvana” mean?
Suvana means good or happy forest retreat or realm. It reflects the vision of creating a peaceful, supportive community surrounded by nature.
Who is Suvana for?
Do I need to be a Buddhist to join?
No, you don’t need to identify as a Buddhist to join. Suvana welcomes anyone who resonates with Buddhist values such as mindfulness and generosity. Partners or family members of practising Buddhists are also welcome, provided they are aligned with these values.
Working through the Suvana Coordination Group, cocreators have produced a Vision Statement and a draft Community Agreement, which together express how we want to live. As the project progresses these documents will continue to be developed with the input of cocreators and agreement of the Coordination Group.
Do I have to be a particular type of Buddhist?
No, Suvana is open to Buddhists of all traditions; the community is not exclusive to any particular school or practice.
All the Suvana founders and many members of the Coordination Group are practicing within the Triratna Buddhist movement, so it is likely that a significant proportion of Suvana inhabitants will be affiliated with Triratna in some way.
I am not currently a Buddhist, but I agree with the Suvana Vision and prefer to live by Buddhist values. Will Suvana provide group work to support people who are not currently engaged in the Buddhist community?
We envisage Suvana being a supportive community for those wishing to deepen their practise or start practising Buddhism, but we cannot guarantee that the formal support offered by the Buddhist Centre will be available at Suvana.
Cambridge Buddhist Centre offers courses relating to Buddhism for those interested in learning more and practicing it. Many Suvana co-creators are already members of the Cambridge Buddhist Centre Sangha.
If a Buddhist couple moves into Suvana with non-Buddhist adult children would that be a problem?
We envisage Suvana being an inclusive community, with a variety of family types. Having non-Buddhist children does not preclude you from applying for a Suvana property.
What is the vetting process for residents?
There is a process - led by the Joining Kula (part of the Coordination Group) - to help cocreators decide if Suvana is the right community for them, based on shared values rather than rigid criteria.
It’s about creating a vibrant community grounded in Buddhist values, where all residents contribute to the community.
Prices
How much will homes cost?
Shown here is a table of indicative prices.
These prices are based on the current market, and could go up or down over the next few years depending on the overall market situation. The prices are higher than average Northstowe prices because we are asking for a high-quality build that aligns with our desire for eco-friendly housing (and hopefully lower energy bills!).
These prices include a pro rata cost of the common house and other community facilities. Some first-time buyers may be eligible for Discounted Market Sale.
We understand that final prices will be confirmed before cocreators are asked for a formal reservation deposit.
When will prices of properties be confirmed?
Legally, the exchange of contract fixes the asking price. However, TOWN’s ambition is that formal reservations will fix the asking price, though that is not a legal requirement.
Timeframes
What’s the project timetable and construction programme?
TOWN submitted a planning application for the development in November 2025. Subject to receiving consent, they anticipate construction of Block B (Suvana) will begin in summer 2026 with first homes being occupied in late 2027 or early 2028.
Property specification
What is the heating method in the houses?
Air source heat pumps coupled with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery. It’s likely to be under floor heating downstairs and maybe radiators on upper floors but this is yet to be confirmed.
What is the heating method in the apartments?
The apartments will each have a Nilan Compact P unit which provides ventilation, heat recovery and heating and cooling. There will be a single panel heater in the living room to provide supplementary heat when it is very cold. The cooling is not equivalent to having an air conditioning unit and mainly helps with reducing humidity. Infra-red or Dimplex will be used for the panel heater. All homes will have an electric towel rail in the bathroom.
How easy will it be to get qualified people to service the heating equipment and get spare parts?
All new homes in England from 2027 onwards will be using non-fossil fuel heating. Some of these systems are relatively new technology, so over time availability of spare parts and qualified people will improve.
How do I find the dimensions of the rooms for the property I am interested in?
The plans have scales on and this can be used to get the measurements of the rooms.
How adaptable will the houses and flats be as we get older?
We’ve yet to receive confirmation of whether the homes will comply to M4(2) (Adaptable) or M4(3) (Wheelchair) standards.
What sustainability features will Suvana include?
Suvana is designed to encourage sustainable, low-impact living, and uses low carbon materials chosen for their durability and performance, including low-carbon cladding.
All homes are highly insulated and follow an all-electric energy strategy, with air-source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) and rooftop solar panels.
The apartments use a combined MVHR, ASHP and heating/cooling unit, while houses have external ASHPs.
The scheme is designed to Cam Standard sustainability specification, a high sustainability standard that keeps running costs low for future residents. The whole concept supports a more sustainable way of living including designed-in low car dependence and sharing of resoureces
Will sound insulation be good?
Yes, sound insulation will be integrated into the design to meet or exceed building regulations. Additional measures for specific need requiring extra sound proofing have been discussed at co-design workshops but no additional measures were considered necessary.
What about site conditions, like flooding?
The site is part of the wider Homes England master plan, which includes a robust flood risk strategy. Civil engineers and design specialists are working to ensure that the development is resilient and sustainable.
Purchase Process
How are properties allocated?
An initial round of property allocation took place in January 2026. Remaining properties are now available for reservation by cocreators.
What flexibility will there be on the moving in date and how much flexibility is there if you are selling a house and are in a chain?
We will be getting more information from Hill and TOWN on the details of the sales contract over the coming months.
We do not yet know whether Hill will be offering part exchange or other support for people with properties to sell who want to move to Suvana. We will share more information when we have it.
Is it possible to have a paper copy of the form to join Suvana?
We appreciate some cocreators may find it difficult to fill in an online form. However, the online form has been designed to show different questions for different situations. If you need support to complete the form we can provide a buddy to help you. Please contact info@suvana.org if you require this.
Will the 10% deposit be refundable if the sale of my property falls through?
Suvana cannot offer legal advice. When the contract is available we would expect your solicitor to advise on this.
How does affordable housing work?
Affordable housing will be available under the Northstowe Discount Market Sale scheme, offering eligible first-time buyers a 20% discount on certain homes. Currently, this applies to one- and two-bedroom apartments.
The Coordination Group is currently exploring options for rental homes.
Service Charges
What will the service charges be?
Current information on the service charge is on our reservations page [link]
The service charge mentions a sinking fund. What is this?
It is a fund that leaseholders pay to build up funds for major repairs that happen over a long time scale (e.g. roof repair). It enables costs to be averaged over time rather than leaseholders suddenly needing to find large sums of money for repairs.
Does the service charge in the joining pack and on the reservations page include the shared facilities with Block C as well as the Block B facilities?
Yes - the estimate includes both block B and an allowance for the facilities shared with block C. However, these are only estimates and the actual distribution of service charges will be decided by the residents.
Do the service charges in the joining pack include the estate charges for the wider Hill development and charges for the unadopted roads in Northstowe?
No, TOWN do not yet have details of these.
Living at Suvana
What is the public transport situation for Northstowe/Suvana and how might it be when we move in?
The guided bus is already operational and the infrastructure to carry buses from the guided busway into the town already exists. More info here https://www.suvana.org/northstowe. Cambridgeshire County Council website has a plan for bus routes through Northstowe. However, it is up to bus operators which routes they operate.
We will also have a car club to enable car sharing and would be likely to car pool to Buddhist Centre events.
Neighbourliness with Block C, particularly regarding shared facilities - are we in touch with Block C?
Yes, there is already good contact between Block C co-creators and Suvana Co-creators. However, the Block C community is less established than Suvana, so detailed discussions over shared facilities have not yet begun.
Will Suvana allow pets?
Yes, many Suvana cocreators love their cats and dogs, and so we envision a pet-friendly community.
The exact rules around pets (e.g. can dogs roam freely in the shared garden) will need to be decided by the households that actually move in. If you wish to install a cat flap in one of your doors, just remember that this could affect the air-tightness of your home and therefore the energy efficiency. There are some "passivhaus" cat flaps on the market which have less of an impact on energy efficiency.
How does Suvana keep spiritual vibrancy alive?
Suvana connects people based on shared Buddhist values, fostering a spiritual and supportive environment.
The community is designed to encourage mindfulness, shared decision-making, and mutual respect in daily life. See our story and vision.
As part of the shared spaces, we will have a shrine room / meditation hall in the common house and a ritual space in the courtyard. With the aid of these, the community will find ways to practice together.
The further future
What happens if I want to sell my Suvana home?
Homes at Suvana will likely be easy to sell, as seen with Marmalade Lane, which has a waiting list of 400 households. Potential buyers will need to agree to any community agreements that are in place in order to make sure they are suitable residents for the community.
Looking ahead to the future when a property is passed on, how would that work?
Although it isn’t possible to guarantee the Buddhist ethos of Suvana in perpetuity, we would hope that our heirs would try to honour Suvana’s vision in the people they sold the property on to.
Can Suvana be replicated elsewhere?
We’d love there to be lots of other Suvanas all over the country! We would be delighted to help other Buddhist cohousing communities.
Note that Suvana Cohousing does not give financial advice and recommends that every cocreator seeks independent financial advice.