I honestly can't see the point of trying to restore something this bad. It would be easier, and in the long run probably cheaper, to just build from scratch.
Still, if the local council say no, then I suppose there's little alternative, but on something like this with an acre of land, I don't see what the objection would be.
In my not-so-humble opinion, it's our local councils who are to blame for preventing people from setting themselves up with affordable accommodation. Just try getting permission to site a double-wide on your own lot here! (*)
As you say, the price is really just the site, and although I'd consider $40,000 to be excessive for an acre of land, it's still a better deal than England. You can get agricultural land cheaper here, but not anywhere that the council would let you build on. In fact in many areas you'll see small lots of 1/8 acre or less going for that amount. In some areas it would be double that. Prices have gotten silly.
I'm not aware of any wireless internet services covering my area at the moment. This part of Norfolk has a much lower population density than average, but it's still more settled than the west of Ireland or probably most of rural NZ.
Some of the city types who come up here for a week on the Broads (inland waterways) grumble if they hit a patch where their cellphone doesn't work! Locals just accept it.
On power distribution, I don't have a map of the network, but there are 132kV transmission lines coming into Great Yarmouth, about 20 miles south. Yarmouth is a fairly big, sprawling seaside resort and industrial town (and not very pleasant -- avoid if possible!).
33kV lines run out along the main highway to Stalham, population approx. 3000, about 5 miles from here. From there the only HV around the immediate area is local 11kV distribution.
Phone service is provided by small switches, which would have been UAX (Unit Automatic eXchange) SxS types originally, now digital.
My local C.O. is Stalham, which serves a radius of about 5 miles. Numbers are in the 580xxx to 584xxx range, which gives an idea of how many subscribers there are.
Adjacent offices serve fewer lines: Smallburgh has only 535xxx and 536xxx, for example, and in the other direction Hickling has only 598xxx.
(*) P.S. What's it like to get a permit for siting a mobile home in Ireland and NZ ?
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 11-17-2003).]
