Happening once is unacceptable.

Something Brits have forced for many years.

It does appear at least to not be the case in Spain, I read too many repeats to be comfortable handing over thousands of Euro`s.

How many times does a Spaniard need to fall down the same hole before they fill it in ?

I fear that is an issue in Spain, as long as its someone else in the hole, who cares.

How am I supposed to know that? I do feel sorry for the people who are having a hard time. In life one has to way up the risks, nothing is risk-free unless you're dead. I can't tell you whether your house will be declared illegal as much as I could tell you whether you will get mugged walking down the street.

Out of the 30 million or so houses in Spain how many have been declared illegal? How many have been knocked down?

If someone wants to make a decision they must get the relevant information (its amazing how much google can help!) and make a decision. Then if someone would rather live in France or Bulgaria then good for them.

Many building and properties are on the sea front, there is a 'Ley de Costas' which if you take it literally means there are a hell of a lot of properties that have not yet been declared illegal, that could be... I think this is another of the main problems, the authorities need to sort out what is and is not legal then decide on what will be done to make the 'so called' illegal properties legal... not have people hanging around waiting for when someone comes knocking or for a decision. When this decision is taken then that should be it, no changes in the future. Many of these regulations are controlled by the local authorities and there is a wide variation on their interpretation, this being the case, when another mayor takes over he or she may interpret something different to what the last did, this as I say needs to be sorted and a clear definitive direction taken... not a one way here and another way there, then well I think that.....

Mijas town hall for example, 'many illegal properties there also' are currently allowing two properties to be built on some grass bank about 50 meters 'if that' from the beach, this is contrary to the 'Ley de Costas', may people 'Spanish included' have voiced their anger and disgust at this including putting a petition together... yet the construction of these two home continues and has a board with the Mijas town hall architect and surveyors names on it stating the legality of the construction.

You say some people loosing their home is 'taken out of proportion', sound very blatant and that is why I replied to your post.

I think you are missing the point, this is supposed to be civilised country, we are not supposed to be in a situation in a so called civilised country where the system doesn't know what it is doing when peoples life and funds have been invested in a home that was supposed to be legal and can't even get itself together to sort the problem out, it is inhumane. It might seem dramatic to some but I assure you it will not be to those people who have lost their home and are in a situation 'and have been for a long time now' of waiting to find out what will happen to 'their' illegal property, this is not something that came to light 2 or 3 months ago!

I hear what you are saying, but why should it be that you cannot safely purchase a "detached villa" with a "plot for a garden/pool" located in a "quiet area" but a "short drive from a decent village/town" . Why not, you can in loads of other countries? There is various advice offered here in the hope of avoiding buying an illegal property, but why should you have to go to such lengths? Spain likes to think of itself as a world player, but in a lot of respects, it's still very third world, very banana republic.

Such statements dont help anyone. All countries have their good and bad points. To play devil's advocate...

Do you realise how many people die from catching diseases from dirty hospitals in the UK? Thousands, a lot more than get their houses bulldosed in Spain. So Britain must be a 3rd world country

Er they catch superbugs in Spain, READ THE NEWS

A post from someone who has lost the plot and the debate....CRICKETMAN

Yes, he's the weakest link, goodbye!

Well, I guess because that is not the typical Spanish way of living. Spain is a nation of apartment dwellers and living outside the major towns and cities is not very popular.

In the UK not only is it considered acceptable, it can even be considered desirable to live in the countryside where there is just as much wealth and high standard of living as you would find in any city. Spain is totally different (just look at all the people in the campo who do not have elec, water, internet, telephone, etc).

Anyway, I'm rambling a bit. I think what I want to say is that those who try to find a "detached property with enough land for a pool/garden in a quiet area but not too far from a town/village" are trying to bring a piece of the Uk with them to Spain rather than embracing the Spanish way of living. And that is when so many fall foul of the Spanish rules/regs.

I haven't watched British TV for quite a few years now, but on the occasions when I have seen those "horror in the sun" type programmes nine times out of ten it seems to be the out of town villas that run into problems. The Priors?

Fair enough, you're beyond convincing. You can stick to your bigotted little Britain attitudes

And when my Spanish friends ask me why British people dont bother learning the language and come to Spain to eat their own food, read their own newspapers and send their kids to their own schools, I can say it is because they are bigotted and ignorant and want to live in their British colony in the sun.

I've spent 400 odd posts trying to convince myself that this isnt true because I an optimist, however, for half the people on here it seems to be most definitely is true.

No cricketman, the problem I think you have is you are trying to be over defensive of some things that are not defendable, sometimes you try to 'use' other issues that have nothing to do with the basics of that being discussed as a defence on the issue discussed. Sometimes you translate what is being said into something that was not... I think this is in your eagerness to defend, in some cases something that does not need defending if you read the sentence as it was written in other cases it is fact, doesn't matter how much you try to defend it, it's just not possible.

There are problems in other countries and some are serious issues, but what is discussed here is Spain and these issues being discussed should not be there, doesn't matter if you love the place or not... they should not exist and that is what is being discussed. I could go on and get more in depth but I will try not ramble on, all I will probably do is probably make you more denfensive. If you have issues about the UK then start a thread on those, in many cases it may not seem it but hopefully what takes place is discussion, hopefully friendly but not hateful, that is not what it is about...

It might surprise you to find that there are many people on this forum who do not live on fish and chips and who actually learn the language, many of the people you have been involved with in discussion, there are also many people who where not born here... but have probably been here longer than you are old.
I think it might help to read, take in, consume, reason and then reply after thinking about what is being said, not to use asumption. I don't say this to hurt, anger or get at you, I only say this to maybe help you understand a bit more rather than just generate anger.

From what I have read of your posts, they have mainly been concerned with trying to rubbish UK at almost every opportunity, rather than address the subject under discussion. This thread was about the programme Paradise Lost and the corruption involved, but when you appear to have run out arguments, you bring up the state of UK hospitals. That's fine, start another thread on that if you think it warrants it, but it hasn't got anything to do with this discussion. However, I'm glad that you've arrived in paradise and are so content there, you're one lucky man!

Edit. See Econ just got here before me, and we're saying similar things.

I think you should travel more.

Every culture and creed of person does this, its not unique to British persons.

You`ve never seen the China towns around the world, the Asian area of the UK to name but a few.

Its a natural trait of settlers too foreign lands, those who don`t struggle to stay and why not, just because you moved to another country does not mean you forget your own life.

I bought some lovely little pasties in my local Asda, frozen and from Poland, they were just like the Argentinian empanadas.

I must say though the most obsessed about foreigners making ghettos seem to be Brits, the Spanish don`t seem to mind.

After reading this in the Sur I guess they never will fill all the holes in Spain.

After last week’s planning corruption conviction, the mayor of Sayalonga, José Luis Navas (PSOE), announced that he would be standing down from his position even though the sentence is not yet final. However, after two demonstrations in his favour by the local people and even a general strike in the village Navas announced on Tuesday that he would consider staying at the helm of the Town Hall at least for the time being.
“I cannot let down, or underestimate, the voice of my neighbours”, he said on Monday after 500 people downed tools to show their support for their mayor and ask him not to go.
The Malaga court found Navas guilty of planning corruption for granting permission for the construction of an illegal property in a rural area. He was sentenced to a year in prison and a nine-year ban on holding public office. The sentence will not be final, however, until his appeal has been heard.

Yes, that about sums it up, the Spanish are so steeped in corruption, they see nothing wrong with it, it's expected of people in high office. Probably most of those people have already given him a bung, and knowing that he readily accepts them, why not have him back, he's "bribable". it's inbred, I'm afraid.