As you may know, the Olhão Câmara has commissioned plans for a comprehensive redevelopment of the Baixa in Olhao.
Much of the proposed redevelopment contradicts the principles in the wider Plano Diretor Municipal (PDM) for Olhão which is now open for public consultation and can be seen on the Câmara’s website www.cm-olhao.pt under ‘Aberto período de audiência pública para revisão do PDM’.
The PDM plans are due to be approved by the Cãmara after the public consultation period ends on December 10th 2014.
If the wider PDM plans are approved, the city centre of Olhão may be ‘improved’ in the same style as in the Camino das Lendas – the 5 squares that have been paved in machine-cut stone and lit with industrial-strength lighting.
Olhão Câmara welcomes views from its citizens and you are urged to make your views known or the city centre is in real danger of being ‘modernised’ out of character with its nature and purpose.
Your objection could be against one or more of the following developments that the Câmara is proposing:
• Replacing the calçada paving with machine-cut paving stones through the main streets of the Baixa including the Rua Commercio, and Rua Vasco de Gama
• The closure of the Baixa to all vehicles
• The use of modern materials, benches, lighting etc throughout the Baixa including the Market Area
• The destruction of private property to make space for vehicles
• The destruction of houses to make a ‘Torre Mirante’ viewing tower and information centre in the Barreta
• Permission to raise the height of any building along the Avenida 5 Outubro thus obstructing the view from the houses behind
These modernisation plans can now be seen in the Sociedade Recreativa, and on Saturday, an Olhao architect, will give a talk, explaining the report which he had written advising the Camara of an alternative approach to any redevelopment of the historic downtown area.
If you do not want any/some of these things to happen in Olhão, you can be heard. There will be a petition to sign in one of two ways:
1 - Visit the ‘Save Olhão’ link under 'Latest Features'. Here you will find the redevelopment plans for the city centre, the commentary from a local architect advising the Câmara of an alternative approach, and a suggested email to send to the Câmara to register your views and send it to geral@cm-olhao.pt and presidente@cm-olhao.pt.
2 - Alternatively, you can fill in the form provided here, and which includes the relevant endorsement, and send it to geral@cm-olhao.pt and presidente@cm-olhao.pt.
Info about the fields in the form
Nome: (Name)
Contribuinte: (portuguese tax number but if you don’t have it, can be the one of your country)
BI/Cartão Cidadão: (or passport of course)
Telefone: (…….)
Email: (……@….)
Profissão: (profession)
Na qualidade de: (if you are not resident it will be nice to put investor or any other similar idea)
All the rest you should leave it as it is and it says:… I endorse the principals contain in the document here included as suggestions and informations for the revision of the Municipal Plan of Olhao.
