Birchley Village Locations

At Birchley Community Villages, our goal is to create sustainable, welcoming communities in locations that truly enhance quality of life.
Every destination is chosen through first-hand on the ground research and a strict evaluation process.

Barry Murphy from Cork, the founder of Birchley Community villages has the following strict criteria when selecting a country for development:

Efficiency of the planning permission and building permit process
Climate
Lifestyle Affordability
Friendly welcoming safe culture
Ease of acquiring visas/residency
Availability of quality construction contractors
Infrastructure

When you take into account all of the above, it can rule out a lot of destinations that would appear suitable.
We are very selective with strict criteria, but still always learning and observing.

“There are actually only about 7 or 8 countries in the world that could meet our criteria, when you take into account climate, affordability, infrastructure and safety alone.

Of this very limited number of countries, some of them have extremely complicated bureaucratic government systems, which can change from time to time. A perfect example is Greece, which just a few years ago was a bureaucratic basket case, until they decided to streamline everything, as well as incentivise foreign investment.

That is why we are constantly reviewing government policies in a select number of countries, and we often contact relevant government authorities to introduce our plans with our criteria to see if they are interested in working with us.

We will never proceed to the contract stage of creating a village in any country unless we are totally happy with the conditions on the ground beforehand. We are even a little unsure about Argentina at the moment due to inflation, but it is definitely going in the right direction at speed.

We are involved in negotiations with two other countries at the moment, and we will reveal the outcome to all joined members in the near future.

Aside from all of the above, we have also been contacted by some groups, local government bodies and even international corporations who are interested in creating Birchley Community Villages in their existing locations. They are groups who love the Birchley designs, but who do not want to relocate to a different country. We are currently working through these enquiries on a case by case basis.”

Barry

Thailand

Why Thailand?

The cost of living in Thailand is exceptionally affordable, and the people are the warmest human beings you will find anywhere in the world, as long as you treat them with respect obviously.
The variety of Thai food is delicious and endless, even on street stalls, where you can get an amazing full meal for $3 or even less, served with a smile by someone who really appreciates your business.
A two hour 120 mile trip in a private top of the range SUV costs 35 Euro approx. 35 Euro from Bangkok to Rayong or Hua Hin for example. Can you imagine what that would cost where you come from?
Also, there is the potential to visit so many truly amazing places both within Thailand and neighbouring countries, that you will never be bored.
Unlike The Philippines for example, the transport, electric, and internet infrastructure is very modern and on a par with anywhere in the world, as well as being a much safer country.
Thailand also has a first class state of the art private healthcare system, which is very accessible with the right health insurance policy.

Cons of living in Thailand

The only real con living in Thailand is the temperature and humidity

This can be mitigated by a change of routine. For those who like outdoor activities, they should be prepared to be up and out early in the mornings, and go back to bed after breakfast for a siesta! It’s best to stay indoors or close to a swimming pool between 11 am and 7 pm. Indoors can mean staying at home relaxing or going to an air conditioned shopping mall for example..

At the same time foreigners relocating will tell you that they get acclimated to the heat after a few weeks.

You will hear many people talking about the rainy season, but it’s nearly irrelevant because when it rains, it usually only lasts an hour, and then the sun reappears again.

In the northern and central parts of Thailand, the farmers burn the crop stubs annually unfortunately, which causes poor air quality from March to May, so we only build down south, where it is much less prevalent.

Argentina/Mendoza Region

Mendoza, Argentina is simply amazing from many points of view.

First of all, it is the wine producing capital of Latin America, with millions of hectares of amazing vineyards and award winning wineries to visit.
It is parked at the foothills of The Andes Mountain range, which are stunning, and great for activities like hiking, biking, paragliding and skiing to name just a few.
The winter months (June, July and August) are mostly dry with average temperatures of 15 degrees celsius during the day, but you can still go skiing within a couple of hours drive in top class resorts.
Spring and autumn are simply beautiful, as is most of the summer and winter. 320 dry days per year, and even the remaining wet days, the rain usually only lasts a couple of hours.
If you lived for 100 years you still wouldn’t have the time to see all of what Argentina has to offer, because it is so vast, with many different climates all within one country, let alone what the neighbouring countries have to offer.
One of the most important aspects of living in Mendoza Argentina is that it is by far the safest location in Latin America with a very friendly and helpful population and culture.
Argentinians are known for their warmth and hospitality towards respectful foreigners. respectful foreign nationals.

The Cons of living in Mendoza Argentina

There is only one real con relocating to Argentina.

The first is that it is a long way from anywhere and takes well over 12 hours to get there, which means it is not suitable for people who need to or want to travel back home more than a couple of times a year. From London, you take a direct overnight flight to Sao Paulo, and in the morning a second 3 hour flight to Mendoza for example.

On the other hand it also means that you won’t be receiving too many family visitors, which might be a good or a bad thing!!!
One other small aspect to consider if relocating to Argentina is that most imported products are expensive compared to what they cost in the developed world. This means that you should bring with you things like laptops, computers, branded clothing etc.

Greece

(We are not offering villas in Greece until late 2026, to concentrate on Thailand first)

Why Greece?

The Greek people have always been very sociable and friendly, and there are so many beautiful places to visit, but what really put Greece on the map for us is the fact that the country has become much less bureaucratic and at the same time more efficient over the past 10 years.
Now the Greek system is designed to welcome development, which makes it very attractive for obtaining planning permission etc, and also when you consider its climate, as well as the fact that it's in The European Union.
It's very easy for UK citizens to get residency in Greece, as long as they meet certain income standards, which all of our members do automatically anyway, and we have reliable partners to assist with this process who won’t rip you off.
Obviously it is a great location from an access point of view, with very cheap flights to anywhere in Europe, and anyone wishing to go further afield has loads of connection options.
While the cost of living is not as inexpensive as Thailand obviously, it is still extremely good value for a European country.

We have selected two regions of Greece where we are interested in building villages, based mainly on the climate all year round, the beauty of the areas and the affordable cost of land.

Cons of living in Greece