Locals are outraged over the demolition of Vivenda Compostela, one of the oldest houses in the coastal hotspot of Praia da Rocha in Portimão, thought to have been built in the early 1900s.
The house, which sits at the top of a cliff in front of the Hotel Algarve, is seen as one of the last examples of the picturesque scenery that Praia da Rocha used to be known for before it became overloaded with hotels and towering buildings.
Some have taken to social media to describe the house’s demolition as a “new dark chapter” in the history of Praia da Rocha’s urban development.
The house is already half demolished although the demolitions were put on hold this week when Portimão Council contacted the owner in an attempt to “find a solution that did not involve the house’s demolition”.
Says the council in a statement to the press, “the negotiations were not successful due to the owner’s rights and the large financial compensations that the owner would be entitled to”.
The council also says that the demolition was approved in 2013 before the current administration took power.
In order to prevent similar situations from happening in the future, the council says it will propose the “suspension of Portimão’s municipal plan (PDM) for the Praia da Rocha area” and set new preventive measures at the next council meeting.
