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Britain's first child free village gets thumbs up from residents
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Britain's first child free village gets thumbs up from residents
Seven years since the first village in Britain to be child-free opened and residents say Firhall provides them with their right to a life free from noise and hassle.

Firhall has been built on the outskirts of Nairn on the Moray Firth, in Scotland. If you want to buy a property here, you have to be 45-plus with no dependent family in tow, and you must sign a contract agreeing not to sell property on to those with children.

The concept has been adapted from an American idea which is growing in popularity in Europe and is the latest development in the trend towards segregated communities.

Built by Caledonian Retreats, Firhall Village is billed as “a new direction in modern country living”. It is aimed primarily at people whose families have left home, who have retired or are contemplating retirement and now wish a secure comfortable country lifestyle, according to Caledonian Retreats. “Country walks, luxury club house facilities, maintained landscaped gardens, trout fishing - the village has them all,” it adds.

Within the village a range of two and three-bedroom houses, bungalows, cottages, new flats, traditional flats and riverside mews are available.

But in a rapidly ageing population some argue that it is not a good idea to encourage ‘exclusive’ communities where older people are segregated from the rest of society.

Firhall village is close to the attractive seaside town of Nairn, where its 11,000 residents enjoy a prime location on the Moray Firth coast just 16 miles east of Inverness.

A popular holiday destination since Victorian times, Nairn has a host of features which offer a unique holiday experience. It also provides an excellent base for exploring the Scottish Highlands. Choose from a wealth of self catering accommodation in Scotland for an unforgettable holiday.

When Firhall first opened in April 2003, sections of the media painted a picture of the village as a place for child-hating ogres. Tonight (Monday 5 July) BBC Radio 4 will broadcast ‘Far From the Madding Child’, in which presenter Kati Whitaker looks at how things have turned out since Firhall opened in 2003. The programme starts at 8pm.

According to Radio 4’s website, Kati finds that residents see Firhall as offering a new approach to life - where they can shrug off the old stereotypes associated with ageing and live full and active lives. And far from feeling shunted out of the mainstream, the people who live there say Firhall provides a village which is nothing short of utopia.

This story is brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk

http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-...3-55-2356/

THAT explains why Scotland has been my favorite country. I wanna move there!!!!!!

When can I move in?

I'm fine with the concept, but wish that they wouldn't discriminate on age. I know some younger couples change their mind, but I would hope that proof of permanent birth control would be enough! Then again, if someone is looking to sell their hope individually (it doesn't sound like a coop or condo situation) then you could probably convince them with that proof and a nice financial incentive (a good offer on their home).

Or if not proving birth control, but when you see the wife is pregnant. If they try to hide their baby boom violation they are out. THey have to sign a contract so if/when a pregnasty comes up they have to leave.

These places should be available to the CF of all ages. Otherwise it's perfect. We sort of have this near us. It's a gay retirement community. There are limits on visits by children.

(07-07-2010 09:28 AM)catsnotkids Wrote: [ -> ]When can I move in?

When you're 45 apparently. Just 7 years for me.

Sounds like heaven. It's not only a way to avoid screaming babies and brats, but teenagers in the UK are a serious problem--even more than in the US. When I was living there, I noticed a very hands-off approach to parenting. That did make the younger kids rather independent, and although I did not have regular contact with children, on the occasion I did speak to young kids, they spoke like adults. But when they reach the teen years, look out. There's loads of violence and vandalism everywhere, crime and random beatings. British teens are scary as hell, they have tons of freedom and they use it. The only time I was fucked with in London was when I happened to walk past a group of teens. So this CF village is totally free from all that teenage yob culture, and I bet the residents couldn't be happier.

(07-07-2010 08:05 AM)NKBurlington Wrote: [ -> ]Built by Caledonian Retreats, Firhall Village is billed as “a new direction in modern country living”. It is aimed primarily at people whose families have left home, who have retired or are contemplating retirement and now wish a secure comfortable country lifestyle, according to Caledonian Retreats.

Within the village a range of two and three-bedroom houses, bungalows, cottages, new flats, traditional flats and riverside mews are available.

So it's more of a retirement village than a childfree village. Most of the residents probably have grandkids. Are people allowed to have grandkids stay over at any time? Why else would they have 2 and 3 bedroom houses? I would need answers to these question before I jump on the eutopia bandwagon.

I want to go here!