Wednesday 6 February 2008

What no means

We had a "Non" in the post on Saturday. From Planning.

At first glance, this means our request for permission to build a small-but-beautiful family friendly campsite, with five yurts and all the latest green technology - compost toilets, solar showers, reed-bed grey water recycling system, solar lighting etc. ("all that fun stuff" as they actually do say in America) has been denied.

It also means this at second and subsequent glances.

With the papers returned to us, I got to read the note from the outgoing mayor, who we assumed (partly due to his support for the project a year ago) supported the project. He wrote: "This zone is non-constructible."

I will write separately about how land we bought with planning permission for a three-bedroom home became non-constructible, and how its value dropped from the 65,000 euros we paid for it to probably around 20,000 euros. It's an amusing story.

But you probably want to know: "What are we going to do now?"

First, we're going to finish planting the orchard we bought on Monday. Then we've got lots more fencing to do (don't knock it - it's cheaper than the gym). A dossier to write. People to talk to. All that.

I haven't run this past Clare yet, but I think we should apply for permission to build a small-but-beautiful family friendly campsite, with the latest green technology including compost toilets, solar showers, reed-bed grey water recycling system, solar lighting and more. With four yurts.

How could they say no?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Remember those pictures of a nuclear 1940's family gathered around the wireless listening intently? Well, it's much like that in this household. . . .well, no, it's not *really* but you get the idea . . . the cry goes up 'What news of Alex and Clare?!' and we check the blog together . . . . .

Today we did our shocked faces followed in quick succession by angry faces, sad faces and concerned-for-you faces.

There's only one thing for it and we are making placards already , , , , "ALEX FOR MAYOR!" , that means that you can vote your own project through . . .

If you had had that 'Build A New Life In The Country' film crew along, this set back would have been the bombshell before the ad-break. It always works out fine by the time we have been exposed to 4 minutes of commercialism and we would have come back in to the story with an annoying 5 minutes of 'Clare and Alex have relocated.. . . .' recap and then a shot of Clare running over to a honed and toned Alex (grappling with his gripple) waving the planning consent in her hand . . . .

It's going to be fine! It's just a *temporary* set back!!!!!!

the devolutionary said...

That's not a comment - that's a blog.

I know it's only temporary. But it can be hard to see that when you're in the middle of it. A friend of ours over here, flushed with her new permission, told us it will all work out in the end. But if you'd spoken to her a month ago...

In honour of your reality TV reference, see next post.

Anonymous said...

As I've said to you before,

a) you have the ability to land on your feet
b) it would make for a dull blog/book if you were already taking bookings for the imminent summer


. . . . although I obviously appreciate that you would rather not have all the hassle. . . . .