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Mark Stücklin 2 years, 11 months ago.
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The Guardian’s Ashifa Kassam in Madrid reports that Olmeda de la Cuesta (Castilla La Mancha) is back to almost giving away land to attract new inhabitants.
On Thursday the village began its latest attempt to attract new residents with a bargain sale of eight plots of land. Lots start at €200 (£160) for 60 sq metres (645 sq ft)2 while €300 will buy you 87sq m (936 sq ft). The most expensive plot of land costs €1,300 for 205 sq metres. The only requirement for all of them is that buyers must build a house or business on the land within two and a half years.
Back in February 2011 I reported that Spain’s Village with oldest population hopes to attract fresh blood with cheap land, so this is not the first time they have resorted to this tactic.
Ageing and depopulation is a terrible problem for rural Spain. You’d think the Government might do something about it, like attract foreign buyers with tax breaks rather than scare them away with tax persecution…..
Unfortunately it’s not a problem unique to Spanish rural areas. Here is a similar story from Ireland from the BBC yesterday, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28690534 . It is a fact throughout western Europe and the USA.
A little strange in some respects, as with modern technology it’s never been easier to work or base a business away from large cities. My own sons are little different, we live in East Lancashire, our eldest son has moved out and to Manchester, our youngest will follow suit after he finishes his education (or plans to).
There is lots of work in this area, mainly aerospace and automotive engineering paying good salaries. However engineering is not a “glamorous” career and here in East Lancs we don’t have quite the same cosmopolitan feel of Manchester.
I could be wrong, but I get the impression that lots of Britons have moved to the French countryside, all over France, though particularly in the South. In Spain, however, they seem to stick to the coast. I travel extensively around Spain and it strikes me as a big, beautiful, and empty country, with good broadband all over. I’m surprised there aren’t more Northern Europeans moving to the countryside of places like Catalonia, Asturias, Extremadura, and Castilla y León.
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