Oct 25 2019
What actually happened in 2018 with the legal issues?
The police first came by during the fiesta in May 2018 and they told us to stop any camping on site. But then they came back, and kept coming back every few weeks to ask questions and make us feel uncomfortable. This was a big wake up call to re-activate the process of permission for the buildings, but we ran into problems and had a rather distressing realisation: that the eco-village plan is not a legal possibility. In September we started thinking about a new path for the project, and then in October 2018 we received a fine for 400 euros and decided to close up for winter.
What is the grand plan you have now?
We have a new proposal for a project that is BIG, I shared it at Maranya Festival and now it’s time to take the first steps…
We want to change education, change farming, and regenerate the ecosystem in the Vall Rovira. (doesn’t everyone? I mean the world isn’t going great right now)
We are looking for a small dedicated team of people to create a substantial long-term project. This includes funding, permaculture design, education, bioconstruction, farming, management, organisation and motivated hardworking people.
If you think this sounds amazing, it is! READ MORE HERE
What activities are you doing this year 2019?
This year we ran a youth exchange with participants staying in the local village, but it was very difficult logistically and we are not in a rush to repeat it. We also have 4 long term volunteers who live in the village and go by bike to Boodaville every morning. Part of their job is to share and educate about permaculture via social media, since no-one actually comes to visit!
We upscaled the festival and moved to a new and brilliant location, it is now the Maranya Festival, and it took place in May 2019.
In the end it has been outstandingly positive to collaborate with the local village Caseres. We are sharing our permaculture designs with the locals and working together with the mayor and the local government there. The idea of “community” has shifted from being an “eco-village” of a few people in the valley, to being a collaboration with a wider network of people. In the end, if there are empty houses in the village, and it’s only 15 mins by bike to the site… do we really need to build houses in the valley? Is the whole project richer for being more open and collaborative, and impacting local people?
What is the future of the Boodaville site?
The long-term vision of what will happen at Boodaville has changed, and we are now looking towards a future as an educational demonstration site offering 2 or 3 courses a year, and undergoing the rest of the activities as day visits only. The process to do this legally is underway, but will take months or longer. We are developing a “Social Interest Report” to demonstrate to the local council why our activities should continue, and we will then work with Rafa, a man who knows about planning permission, and the local mayor, to agree on what measures need to be taken for health and safety to do this.
Next year, 2020 we are planning a quiet year on site, with no volunteers and no activities while we go through this process.