In March 2014 Portugal’s environment minister, Jorge Moreira da Silva, announced that he was to 'move forward' with the demolition of 835 buildings in areas “at risk of coastal erosion” on the islands off Faro and Olhao. Needless to say, nothing has happened.
These 'illegal homes' in the Ria Formosa still are due to be razed in an operation that is planned to finish at the end of 2015 at a cost of €16.6 million, but now Faro council has spoken out against the plan.
It has taken three months for the council to decide where it sits on this issue. Today’s announcement shows it opposes the demolition and subsequent re-housing of the inhabitants.
This stance comes as a welcome boost to the islanders who do no harm, they are just in the way of some larger project which dates back to 2008 and which now seems to be moving forward.
The Minister’s rather weak reason for the removal of these homes is to prevent the need to rescue people and property in the event of storms, “We do not want scenes of destruction by the sea, as witnessed in Fuseta some years ago, repeated elsewhere, there are people and assets to be protected in places where there should not be people or assets."
Faro’s mayor said today that, "nobody wins anything if these properties are demolished and there are no risk factors."
The blacklist includes 808 homes located on Praia de Faro, Hangares, Farol and its islets. These buildings have been threatened with demolition due to the risk of coastal erosion and storm damage, but the mayor today outlined the inconsistencies in the approach as Armona comes under Olhão council, Hangares is scheduled to lose 159 buildings, some lighthouse dwellings are located in an area previously managed by the former Institute for Ports and Maritime Transport which will stay, the remaining 217 houses are on the list of houses to be demolished.
Faro now wants to see houses saved and does not see a problem with those fishermen who live there staying put.
Mayor Rogério Bacalhau will discuss the council’s arguments with the Minister for Environment with whom he has a meeting scheduled for July and hopefully he will not return empty handed.
"We are talking about a very expensive investment at a time when the country is in financial difficulties, these priorities will not be worth spending the money on, it’s something that is very little use," said Bacalhau.
The programme that may cause the eviction of the islanders and see their homes bulldozed is the Polis Litoral Programme (2008) which aims ‘to create an integrated and coordinated policy for coastal areas, to rehabilitate and reclaim risk areas and degraded natural areas along the coast’ and to remove unsightly fishermen and flatten their shacks.
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