Everybody needs good neighbours...

The area where we bought our plot of land used to be a posh countryside gated community but it went bust just as it got started in 1998. These days there are over 100 plots which are empty and waiting to be built on and as the whole project was left in huge debt, these were seized by the state and were sold off pretty cheaply - much to the disgust of the 30 wealthy families who live in the first phase of the development.

Originally the whole idea was to make the whole community an exlusive place to live, with rules about building designs, rules about access, a hefty monthly administration fee, 24 hour security, porters, street lighting, paved access etc etc. Although this wasn´t really the sort of place we´d ideally choose to live, the benefit of being able to leave the house for a month at a time when we travel, not worrying about security, was attractive and the land was a bargain.

It now appears that the original community want to try to cut off the other sections to try and keep their area exclusive and to not have to invest in the infrastructure needed to support a possible 100 houses more. Especially when these houses are likely to be bought by normal people (without house servants for example) who have paid half the price for their land that the original residents paid thirteen years ago.

I see their point.

We have written two letters to the president of the community explaning to them about our plans and offering to pay something towards the community costs but haven´t recieved an answer to either letter. The only time we have had any direct contact with the ´junta´was when we arrived with 4000 bricks on the back of a truck and were told that we didn´t have permission to build and therefore will not be allowed in! We did however have planning permission granted by this point (very few of the other houses in the ´conjunto´ have planning permission) and we clearly have access rights outlined on our deeds, so we insisted and were let in. The president however requested an audience as we were leaving and as politely as possible informed us that they wouldn´t be willing to assist us in any of our building needs (water or power connection) but would, for the meantime until some kind of arrangement was made, allow us access.

The next day we passed by town planning to pick up a copy of our building plans and the helpful chaps there let us know that the president of the ´junta´ has passed by that morning to demand the reason why we´d been granted planning permission given that we only have access rights by foot! We spoke to the head legal architect guy in charge of town planning and he assured us that this was not the case.

That was about a month ago and we haven´t heard anything since. We´ll wait and see. The last thing we want is problems with the neighbours and I think we´ve been pretty careful not to step on any toes since we arrived. Our immediate neighbours (who are also in the outer zone) are really nice, one is lending us water while we build and the other is lending us electricity. One is a bit of a Ned Flanders character and has seven barking dogs, but with time we´re getting used to that!

Hopefully moving to the countryside will still allow us the peace and quiet that we were hoping for, although I´m starting to think it might end up giving us a stomach ulcer instead!