I had a NASTY shock a couple of weeks back thanks to my incompetent Portuguese based accountancy firm sending me through a VERY WRONG tax estimate for my Portugues tax return, they eventually (After TWO requests from me) got the calculation right, but when I saw that initial tax amount I immediately started thinking about heading back to the UK.
Somewhat unexpectedly my calculations showed me that I could move back if I wanted to, back to my cute little house in Hereford, AND that's without selling either the land or the house in Portugal...
And so I got to imagining what it would be like moving back and the idea of getting an allotment occurred to me. I used to love my allotment in Surrey, so this is very appealing.
The thing is allotments are in high demand in the UK - one calculation has it at 25 applications per plot available, and then there's also sell-pressure on allotment spaces as most of them are owned by local councils and they are proper squeezed right now.
BUT I've been digging around (pun totally not intended, but hey!) and there are also some successful independent allotment associations, organised co-operatively, where the members own the land and then the plots are rented out.
Something like this is what I'm talking about....
This system means that you would need a majority of members to vote to sell the land - and I imagine you could organise this on set-up so that there were further requirements making it difficult to sell.
My brain-thing likes this idea - what I like about it is this:
Here in East Central Portugal land is so cheap and abundant that everyone who wants one has their own little plot of land on which to grow there own, it's pretty much the norm around here...
Back in Britain it's a struggle simply because there is a higher population density (NB I'm not talking about major cities in Portugal here!).
So I'm now thinking that something I'd like to get stuck into is setting up allotment co-ops - I kind of like the idea of having some agricultural land in the UK but in no way is this ever going to be affordable for most people - but working with others to set up collectively owned projects is something I could see myself getting into.
I also miss working with people and using my intellect to do something useful, so maybe this is something that will be in my future!
The land project in Portugal is fine and all but It's all a bit just me and I still can't understand a word of Portugues - and the land is perfectly capable of taking care of itself if I go back to the UK - it'll always be there!
We'll see...