The users of the Praia de Faro campsite today filed a precautionary injunction at the Loulé Administrative Court to try to avoid leaving the space, following the end of a lending agreement they had with the Council, which officially ended yesterday.
Around a year ago, the Faro City Council approved the termination of its lending agreement with the Praia de Faro Campsite Users and Friends Association (AUAPCPF). At the same time, a new procedure for the renovation of this campsite was launched, the building contractors were chosen and a date for the start of the work was announced: October 1st.
The reaction of the Faro Beach Campsite User and Friends Association was unexpected. Today, at a press conference, the association's management assured that it would not be able to leave the old campsite and that it could only vacate the space when the Faro Council created the necessary conditions to do so.
At issue are two cases of people “who have no other housing or means to rent a house or a room”, but also the alleged impossibility of removing some of the campervans that are in the Praia de Faro campsite because they “do not fit over the bridge”. , according to Luis Arsénio, president of AUAPCPF.
"There is the human side, people who have lived here for over 25 years and who cannot afford to live elsewhere," he said. Faro Council’s Social Action services have long been aware of the existence of these social cases, he claims. He also alleges that some of the municipality’s technicians were recently in the park, "but left without talking to anyone".
The other problem that users point out is that some of the campervans do not fit over the bridge. They recall that “a few years ago the sides of the access bridge to the beach were raised for the passage of pipes. Since then, some of the caravans cannot pass, ” said the president of the AUAPCPF.
This is, in the opinions of the campers, a problem “which the Council will have to solve” if it wants to see the current occupants of the park move. Until then, they refuse to leave. The association that represents the current occupants of the park makes the caveat that it is their intention to leave this space - "we never said we didn't want to leave." That is, they want to leave, but claim not to be able to.
Despite this guarantee, the association hired the services of a lawyer, who happened to be João Botelheiro, former PS mayor of Faro, in order to try to avoid leaving. According to João Botelheiro, this first action, which has already been filed at the Loulé Administrative Court, serves to "try to stop the process and have time to think".
The users of Praia de Faro do not spare criticism of the City of Faro and its mayor Rogério Bacalhau, thanks to the “inelegant” way the termination of the lending contract was announced- “we knew of the intention through the media, it was never transmitted directly to us”.
Nevertheless, the two parties met at two recent meetings requested by users to explain “the existing difficulties”. At these meetings, "attended by the mayor and councilwoman Sofia Matias," they were asked to explain in writing the problems that prevented them from leaving the park, which they did.
"The answer we received is that we had another 15 days to get everything prepared," said the AUAPCPF president.
However, before this extension, the park's occupants had a year to prepare their departure, even though the Council had to give only two months, by law. Whether they will end up leaving in the next fortnight is only a question we can answer through patience.
