"Would you EVER buy a piece of land in the UK, and just build what you wanted, without permissions, without Architects, without proper septic tank systems etc. etc. etc.??????? "

Absolutely well said Jools!

We are champing at the bit to come over and start renovations on 'our' mill but we have only paid a deposit and our (Catalan) solicitor will not contenance us coming over and paying the balance until absolutely every single permission has been granted and rubber stamped.  However frustrating this may be, especially given the Spanish obsession with bureaucracy, it is of course the only sensible thing to do.  I wouldn't dream of ploughing my life savings into a project that was not officially sanctioned and anyone who does has only themselves to blame if it turns into a nightmare

Debbie, I don't know about Kent but here in Oxfordshire no-one is allowed to build so much as a large shed or poly tunnel without planning permission and there have been a couple of cases recently where people have built extensions to their property that have not complied with plans submitted and they have been forced to knock them down.

We're really looking forward to joining you guys over there when the little bureaucrat somewhere within the bowels of GenCat eventually wields his rubber stamp in the direction of our paperwork!

Penny