The evaluation of the environmental impact of the first five-star hotel in the Castro Marim council area starts its public consultation period today, as announced by the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve.
The Panoramic Natura Hotel plan has 226 beds in an area of 25.7 hectares in Monte Francisco, near the Guadiana River and the Nature Marshland Reserve of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António, according to the developer José Eduardo Marques Celorico Drago who has commissioned the environmental impact study which thyerefore is unlikely to dwell on any downside.
The mayor of Castro Marim, Francisco Amaral said that the project is viewed by the council as an engine for the county and will create jobs.
Environmental groups will not share Amaral's enthuiasm as many hotels in the Algarve are still mothballed, consumer demand may be drifting away from hotel holidays especially ones at a distance from the main Algarve beaches, and the sensitive natural area proposed is part of the region's fast disappearing natural habitat for hundreds of species.
Given the mayor's prediction of a positive impact on the county’s economy, a somewhat partial Francisco Amaral hopes the bureaucratic process of project approval will be a swift one.
The design of the hotel project includes the construction of several separate units connected to service spaces, a children's play area and riding stables all connected by natural footpaths.
Access to the adjacent nature reserve will be by a path that already exists to the east of the property.
The public consultation will run until November 28, 2014. This is the process that precedes the licensing of the project as long as a 'favorable' statement or a 'conditionally positive' conclusion is given. The result must be issued by January 28, 2015 according to the rules clarified by the CCDR Algarve.
Individuals wishing to look at the Environmental Impact Study may do so at the Portuguese Environment Agency in Amadora, at the CCDR Algarve’s office in Faro, the Castro Marim council office or at the Junta da Freguesia of Castro Marim.
The public consultation process aims to allow a broad range of organisations and citizens who are interested in the project to register their opinions.
The project is at the Zambujeira site at Monte Francisco and is proposed by businessman José Eduardo Marques Celorico Drago.
See more at:
http://www.ccdr-alg.pt/site/info/empreendimento-hoteleiro-panoramic-natura-hotel
