If homeowners on Ria Formosa’s barrier islands were hoping for good news today, they certainly didn’t get it.
The government-backed eviction orders they face have now been joined by a statement from the country’s longest running environmental agency, Quercus, saying it is imperative that all buildings on the islands are demolished ASAP.
Quercus claims the buildings pose a major threat to the natural lagoon, and that flora and fauna are now at risk.
“Right now many areas of the natural park have been weakened due to the huge pressure of tourism and building,” says the association in a communiqué.
Risks include building on the Ria’s dunes, along with cars parking and driving on them, illegal camping, water pollution from local effluent and an excess of fishing boats, particularly boats that flush out their engines into the Ria’s waters.
Thus Quercus has delivered a list of demands, which includes the removal of all properties on the islands.
Meantime, the environment ministry has, at long last, approved the €6.5 million worth of spending required to dredge the Ria, upgrade access links to Faro beach and construct a new carpark alongside the beach.
Announcing the news today, Faro council said that the dredging should go ahead in different phases, the first of which could begin as early as March next year.
Excluded from the works will be the swanky €2.4 million bridge, originally designed to replace the current structure leading to Faro island.
Despite these developments, homeowners are expected to keep up the pressure to safeguard their homes.
As the Resident wrote in our paper edition last week, a group of 40 householders are seeking legal advice on the basis that the demolitions may be illegal (see: https://www.portugalresident.com/faro-islanders-refuse-to-budge-as-bulldozers-move-in-for-demolition)
