A €1.5 million project to breathe new life into Culatra island has been announced by the government.
The project will involve building a dry dock, renovating the old church square, “integrating” the area surrounding the quays and organising the support areas for fishermen.
Also on the agenda is the overhaul of the island’s pathways, the creation of an “equipped leisure area”, the fine-tuning of the island’s waste collection system, as well as measures to “restore the environmental conditions of the island, especially the dunes”.
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Environment following a series of questions about the island presented by PCP MP for the Algarve, Paulo Sá.
The upgrade is included in the Vilamoura-Vila Real de Santo António coastal plan (POOC) and will be partially covered by community funding.
The news comes just around two weeks after parliament approved a new law that will allow islanders to apply for 30-year residency licences which will effectively make them legal residents on the island (click here).
According to the new rules, each householder will enjoy 30 years of residence if their bid for residency is approved.
When the period is up, the licence will be renewed for another 30 years as long as the owner is still linked to fishing or other island-based activities or if the island home is their only property.
