Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2020 10:02am
Aladdin,
Good morning, Im from county Clare (Ennis) and moved to Chiclana 2 years ago after spending 8 years in London to open our Architectural Practice. On moving to Chiclana to my Spanish wife's home place, I had no previous expectation other than I knew I was promised the sun.
2 years on and still learning Spanish, but I love it here. My Irish family and my friends from all over the world who come to visit us, also love it for its peacefulness in the off peak Season (October-May) while also enjoying the great weather. The peak seasons (June-September) are busy but for me enjoyably busy, great energy, not the crazy intense busy that you would expect in Malaga and other resorts for instance.
Personally, I find Chiclana a very safe area, but like every town or city in the world, there are nice areas, and not so nice areas. But you will notice it is difficult to find the not so nice areas.
Chiclana is a small town and when ever you feel the need to venture out, it is very well connected with some beautiful historical town & villages close by. In terms of food, all I can say is; Chiclana makes my cloths shrink. Great selection for great value. All in all its an amazingly tranquil town.
Now the negative. Properties & Housing.
Over the years Chiclana council allowed, or turned a blind eye to many thousands of illegal construction in and around chiclana. As my wife and I are Architects, a high volume of our works are dealing with residents trying to register their (illegal) properties. The most surprising aspect is that many property agents, landowners, and some legal representatives, assured the potential buyers that the properties were legal and registered with the council but after purchasing and contracts signed and new owners would then find out in fact it was not. The most obvious sign is if the property does not have connection to the foul sewers or has public water mains, they are the main sign the property is consider Illegal by the local council.
But dont despair, in the last 10years, Chiclana council, has been making a massive effort to correct the wrongs of the past, and are in some ways proactive in assisting residence in registering/urbanising their properties.
The final negative is the construction standards. As this is our profession, we deal with this daily and it is a difficult. Whether you are considering buying, or building new, make sure you get a 'Conditions Report' to evaluate the existing property, and in the case of a new site, make sure to get a lawyer (outside Chiclana) to guide you through the process, along with a feasibility study to confirm that you are in fact legally allowed to build on the property (getting a second option other than the land owner or seller).
Of course, we can recommend persons whom we have worked with in the past and whom can answer any further queries relating to property purchasing aspects and conditions report/feasibility studies.
On a final note, life is at a different pace here, but you will always enjoy the great weather, food, and beaches as you speak with you Irish friends or family complaining about how its still raining. (this is what my family do daily).
If you have any further queries, please dont hesitate to contact us on;
[email protected]
Adrian & Angela