São Brás de Alportel’s main square to be 'modernised' in €315,000 contract

São Brás de Alportel’s main square, the Largo de São Sebastião is ‘facing the future’, according to the council which is to spend €315,000 on redeveloping the area.

Within five months, the Largo de São Sebastião, will be unrecognisable as the council's contractor has transformed it with fountains, scenic lighting and ambient music.

Vítor Guerreiro, the mayor of São Brás de Alportel, wants to "look to the future" and has accessed 65% funding by CRESC Algarve 2020 as a contribution towards the São Brás Action Plan for Urban Regeneration.

The work, which has been awarded to a local company, "solves several problems," according to the mayor. Despite São Brás de Alportel being the municipality’s centre, it is not well planned, "Whoever arrives there, can not easily work out where to cross, where to park and, many think that the statue of Bernardo Passos is a roundabout.”

The council pondered moving the statue, but Vítor Guerreiro decided that "we did not have the freedom to move something that was paid for by the people 50 years ago."

The Largo de São Sebastião ‘of the future’ will have "green spaces, fountains that can be turned on and off so that people walk around the space freely, scenic lighting to enhance the heritage that exists, not only the statue of Bernardo Passos but the interesting buildings from a heritage point of view such as the old pharmacy building."

The new-style Largo de São Sebastião has been designed to be futuristic, but the mayor says it will take into account the area’s heritage, "the work will be done with materials from the region, such as shale and limestone. There will be an artistic pavement which will continue until Avenida da Liberdade.”

As Olhão’s citizens gear up for Tuesday’s ‘make or break’ meeting with the mayor and the Lisbon architects who want to modernise the city centre in a plan that has been described as “abhorrent” by a renowned Professor of History, São Brás de Alportel’s main square is set for similar treatment as many Algarve mayors continue to see ‘modernisation’ as synonymous with ‘progress.’

São Brás de Alportel was a Roman settlement and later inhabited by the Moors. It was the birthplace of Moorish poet Ibne Ammar in the 12th century and in the 16th century, it was a small village with a Hermitage. Later, the town became a popular retreat for the bishops of the Algarve where they escaped from the summer heat. In 17th century, an Episcopal palace was built for their use.

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