Urban park and university campus planned for site
In a bid to pave the way for the establishment of a sprawling urban park and a new university campus, the Municipal Assembly of Portimão has given the green light to a public auction for a 373,000sqm plot of land in Barranco do Rodrigo.
The designated purpose for this parcel is the construction of residential properties, which the buyer of the land will be responsible for developing, Portimão Council explains in a statement to the press.
The starting point for the auction bids has been pegged at €11 million, while an additional estimated sum of €7 million has been earmarked for the real estate works, which will be covered entirely by the developer, the council adds.
As readers may recall, the plot was once earmarked for a huge sports complex including a football stadium, an Olympic pool, a multiuse pavilion and a large shopping centre.
Now, the council is committed to turning an 18-hectare plot of the land into a “large urban park”, which it will create using the funds obtained from the public auction.
The area will also welcome the future Portimão Campus of the University of the Algarve, which will include residences for students. The university will apply for community funding in order to carry out the project, the council says.
In an interview with our sister publication Barlavento at the start of the year, Portimão Mayor Isilda Gomes stressed the importance of the project.
“It’s a dream that I hope will come true. At the moment, our youngsters have to leave (Portimão) to go to university in Faro, Lisbon, Coimbra or Porto, with all the constraints that it brings to families. These days, it’s very expensive to travel and it’s not expected to get any easier in future,” Gomes said.
“Gathering the funding won’t be easy, but we are all fighting for it. Support for education and training is increasing in the EU because more education opportunities mean economic growth,” the mayor added.
