CHEAP HOUSING

By Jason Moore CONGRATULATIONS to the Mayor and council of the small municipality of Moraleda in the province of Seville. Residents of the small area can infact have a home for as little as 20'000 euros and it is all thanks to their council. The Mayor decided to take over a 400'000 square metre plot from one of the biggest landowners in the area and then offered plots to Moraleda's 2'500 residents for a minimal fee. And it doesn't stop there if the family concerned actually gets involved in the construction work, 40 euros per day worked is substracted from the actual house sale price. Naturally, the move has been well received by residents in the area. Also, it got me thinking whether a similar plan would work in Majorca where there is naturally a major shortage of cheapily priced housing for young people. Unfortunately, there are not many empty plots of land of 40'000 square metres and also I can't see any council on this island being so generous! However, it does show that there are some novels ways of solving the housing crisis. Also, in some respects it helps to put back some of the faith in local councils. A few bad apples have given these local authorities a very bad name across Spain. Well done Moraleda, all I hope is that your ground-breaking move actually works.