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[dougal99]

Police leaking witness statements to the press and Councils using anti terror legislation to check up on school place applications whatever next 

Where's the ejection handle?

Doug

[barryfoote]

Police leaking witness statements to the press and Councils using anti terror legislation to check up on school place applications whatever next 

Where's the ejection handle?

Doug

Doug,

Find it and press it asap......I did and now live in the sunshine and am ignorant of everything to do with Spanish politics.....Bliss

[Colin Bishop]

and am ignorant of everything to do with Spanish politics.....

And when will they be demolishing your home then, Footski? 

[barryfoote]

Colin,

This may surprise you but less homes by a copnsiderable margin get demolished here than in the UK....FACT...

Here if a building has been built without permission or relevant certificates it is possible in 99.9% of cases to get them in place retrospectively.....

Plus if you buy here and have half a brain...It is easier than in England and with much less hassle.

Barry

[Colin Bishop]

There have been some pretty alarming TV programmes about the dangers of buying in Spain but a lot of the people involved didn't seem to have done their homework very well.

Colin

[Roger in France]

I must say my experience, to date is much like Barry says of Spain.

Here the municipality which is responsible for planning (but not much more) is very flexible. There are no fees to pay for planning permission ("But Monsieur, you pay your taxes why should the government demand further fees?") and I had a decision in 5 days.

It does help to "know" the Mayor and to use a builder who "knows" the Mayor. Also to be introduced to an "agent" who will prepare your plans and then asks you to submit them to the Planning Office....where he receives them!!!!!!

Roger in France.

[barryfoote]

I must say my experience, to date is much like Barry says of Spain.

Here the municipality which is responsible for planning (but not much more) is very flexible. There are no fees to pay for planning permission ("But Monsieur, you pay your taxes why should the government demand further fees?") and I had a decision in 5 days.

It does help to "know" the Mayor and to use a builder who "knows" the Mayor. Also to be introduced to an "agent" who will prepare your plans and then asks you to submit them to the Planning Office....where he receives them!!!!!!

Roger in France.

Roger,

Are you sure you don't live in Spain???

[Colin Bishop]

If you do that sort of thing over here you are quite likely to end up as a guest of Her Majesty. Spanish Practices is the phrase I think....

Colin

[barryfoote]

If you do that sort of thing over here you are quite likely to end up as a guest of Her Majesty. Spanish Practices is the phrase I think....

Colin

Colin,

You could not even think about doing that in England,   simply because everything has to go through umpteen committees , take six months and cost an arm and a leg. What you consider dodgy over here is cheaper, more efficient and perfectly legal as it should be...

[dougal99]

Roger and Footski,

What happens if you fall out with the mayor etc?  One of my ex-bosses related his experience of buying in France in which the major hurdle was lunch with the mayor. I asked him the same question and got a very funny look!


Roger I know your opinion of the press however, I will relate a story from a broadsheet a few weeks back which told the story of a couple living in Spain who had spent an alleged 400k on their house having got all the required permissions to build and are now being told that it has to be demolished to make way for a railway. Compensation is not on the agenda apparently.

Still hopefully niether of you will have council inspectors using anti terror laws to check your address 

regards

Doug

[barryfoote]

Morning Doug,

I just helped to vote the mayor out of office....No problem.

As for the story of demolition to make way for a railway, I agree this is very poor indeed, particularly on the part of the planners, but I am sure if you look for it you will find similar things in good old Blighty, compulsory prchase still goes on to make way for new developments, shopping malls, industrial areas etc etc...

Taking the mayor out to lunch is not compulsory but going to see him and making the right noises can help to speed things up a little.

[Roger in France]

Please, I am not saying everything in France is beyond reproach or better than the UK.

When living in another country than your native land it is wise to recognise a different culture. My wife and I adopted the expression, "It is not wrong, it is just different".

I can tell you that the system of local govt. here is not a shadow on that in the UK both in the sense of the duties our local municipality can discharge and the total invisibility of anyone other than the Mayor. Most government functions are discharged directly from Paris; the President's representative in each Department (a bit like an English county) has immense personal power; the local "Police" are toy-town figures and very tiny in number; the Gendarmarie is a quasi military force which is brutish and there to control the populace (you soon learn never to ask them a question or seek their help). Central Govt. in Paris is paranoid about a revolution and therefore controls all public gatherings (even the annual sales conducted by shops is regulated as to date and varied between areas so that too many of the public do not gather together in the same place at the same time). Large parts of France cannot be viewed in detail on "Google Earth" etc. This includes my house and area yet I know of no military installation or anything for miles - what are they not telling me?

But I still no where I would rather live in this day and age!

Roger in France.