PLANS WERE revealed recently for the renovation of the old sea front casino at Armação de Pêra (Algarve).
The casino, which for many years remained completely disused, currently hosts a variety of cultural and community events, but the poor state of the building and its prime location, just above the beach with superb views over the ocean, have long made it a subject of controversy. Calls for Silves Câmara to renovate and reappoint the site have been growing steadily over the past few years.
The new plans include a luxury restaurant, a bar, two cultural spaces that will be open to the public, a library, a reading area, a tourism information office and a functions room. Silves Câmara has now invited investors to tender for the concession to the property, the deal being that whoever is awarded tenancy of the luxury restaurant will have the responsibility of renovating the whole building.
According to Câmara sources, investors have already come forward from Portugal and abroad, keen to take on the project, however, the same source would not reveal their identities. It is thought that the renovation scheme will take between four and six months to complete, with the whole project predicted to be up and running in time for next summer.
Sea front to say goodbye to cars
Plans have been unveiled for the complete regeneration of the sea front at Armação de Pêra, one of Silves most popular holiday towns. The scheme, developed for Silves Câmara by the Faro Gabinete de Apoio Técnico (GAT), the technical support office, after a lengthy two-year preparation period, envisages the pedestrianisation of the entire beachside zone, all the way along the Avenida Beira Mar up to the fishermen’s beach.
According to GAT sources, the idea is to create an outstanding public leisure area reflecting the high quality of tourism in Armação de Pêra, a town that has served the requirements of, and reaped the substantial financial benefits from, mass seaside tourism since the 60s.
The plans include the reorganisation of the mini-golf zone to include a public square, which will be named by the citizens of Armação de Pêra, and a garden. In order to advance as quickly as possible with the project, representatives of Silves Câmara met recently with the Comissão Coordenadora do Desenvolvimento Regional (CCDR), the regional development co-ordination commission, to finalise details of the proposal before the undertaking of the works are put out to public competitive tender. Câmara sources say that they hope the works can be started by the beginning of October.
