An implied shortage of land
The old maxim about land being valuable because “they aren’t making any more of it” is particularly true when you live on a smallish island. Even more so when that island has been settled for a long time. First, let me tell you a story.
One of my forebears ran a small local industrial complex. A blacksmith’s forge, with outlying buildings. In fact, the main road split the property into two pieces. My forebear quenched the hearth fire when I was very young, and went home to die. Sad but true. Now, when it came time to divvy up the land, my father was bequeathed those two pieces. Of little interest to him; he’d moved on to find his fortune, years before. He did continue to pay the land taxes.
My father, in turn, went home to die. Sad but true. And in keeping with tradition, he bequeathed those two small pieces of land to me. Well, almost. The lawyers never completed the task of transferring the property to me, because of the heavy constraints imposed by time, distance and a lack of knowledge. The lawyer was “clueless at the prompt” as we say in IT.
No matter. The taxes are still being paid. However, an elderly couple knocked at our door, this afternoon. They would like to “retire up here”, and their property of choice is adjacent to a tiny piece of land that has lain fallow for decades. I guess you can see where this is leading.
Unfortunately, I can’t. Until the land has been transferred, free of any encumbrances, it will prevent any use of the adjacent property. The law. Not always just.
